All I Need Is the Girl
by ncislove
Summary: Fornell runs up against his most elusive criminal yet, and to solve the case, he needs Abby's help...as his girlfriend. Abby/Fornell, Abby/Gibbs
1. Chapter 1

Thanks to my two very awesome betas: Beth and Ekta. Here I am, once again with a longer fic (though perhaps not as many chapters. These chapters seem to a be a bit on the longer side. I hope you enjoy!

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_Vincent Kain watched helplessly as his girlfriend was held against her will. One minute they had been picnicking on the lawn by the Washington Monument, and the next a man in a ski mask held her as she struggled, a gun to her head, using her as a human shield. The FBI had arrived over an hour ago, yet were no closer to freeing Jillian than when they had first arrived. He demanded the FBI agents make a move, but no move was made._

_For Vincent it was like a scene out of a movie as the masked man pulled the trigger, Jillian falling limp into a pile of her own blood. The team of FBI agents responded with shots of their own, dropping the masked man where he stood. They never figured out what had caused the man to grab Jillian Miles while she was out for her morning jog. Fornell turned to his team with a heavy sigh. "There was nothing we could have done."_

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Tobias Fornell slammed down his phone in frustration and cradled his head in his hands. Cassandra Jones had been attacked and killed in her home while her boyfriend, FBI agent Adam Burton, had gone to the gym. Picking up the phone again, Fornell dialed within the office. "Get in here."

Less than a minute later Donny Cunningham pushed the door to Fornell's office open cautiously. "What can I do for you, boss?"

Fornell waved him in and nodded at the two agents that followed in behind him. "Adam Burton."

"FBI, sent to keep an eye on possible terrorist activity in Georgia. What about him?" Donny pulled a chair up in front of Fornell's desk and took a seat. Although he'd only been officially working for Fornell the past year, they went back a few years and Donny was comfortable with Fornell's directness. Agents Jack Moore and Russ Terry were still slightly wary of their boss' demeanor.

"His girlfriend, Cassandra Jones, was killed."

Donny thought for a moment. "Wait a minute, he was on your team last year with…" His voice faded for a moment. "Jim Whitson. His wife was killed eight weeks ago in Boston. Is it related?"

"They were both on my team during the Jillian Miles case."

"Miles… she have a husband?"

"No, but her boyfriend witnessed the entire thing. Vincent Kain. We can't find anything to connect him, no physical proof, but my bet is on him, that he's out for revenge."

"You think he'll go after you next?"

"Me? No. Someone I care about. My daughter."

"Have there been any threats?"

"Not yet." Fornell brought his hands up to massage his temples. He was fighting what he assumed would be one very long and painful headache. "I'm not going to wait for a threat."

"Can't you bring him in to question?"

"We've got to find him first. He's disappeared off the map. His last known address was a condo in Alexandria. The owners have since rented it out to a new family. No usage of his credit cards or passport. The man disappeared shortly after his girlfriend died."

"What are we going to do?"

"First, I want you," Fornell looked at Moore, "to get Diane and Emily out of town. I won't risk my daughter's life. I want them gone until this is settled. I want three men with them wherever you send them, and I want them to go quietly, no big commotion."

"Yes sir." Agent Moore nodded and slipped out the door.

"Cunningham… I want you on Vincent Kain. Dig up everything you can. I want to know about his mother, his second grade teacher, the place where he bought his car. I want to know about everyone he's ever met in his life. Someone must know where he is. Terry, I want you to call around to any other FBI agents who were involved and have a significant other. I want everyone on high alert. We don't know who might be next."

"On it, boss." Donny and Russ answered in unison. It was going to be a long night – they could feel it. Fornell watched the door close behind his agents before he opened his e-mail. He wasn't a fan of technology, but at times he was less anti-email than others. This was one of those times. As promised, he had been emailed photos of the crime scene. Cassandra Jones lay on the stark linoleum floor of the house she shared with her boyfriend, Agent Adam Burton. The phone had been knocked off the wall, in a futile attempt to call for help. He had met her once, just before she had relocated with Burton, but the missing piece of her skull made her unrecognizable. The word 'payback' was written in her blood beside her. It had to be Vincent Kain. It had to be.

He wanted to call Burton, but knew his friend was in no condition to talk. He had discovered his girlfriend after tossing his gym bag to the floor by the door and wandering through the house hoping to find that she'd started on dinner.

Instead, Fornell picked up the phone to dial the local authorities in Georgia who had been first on the scene. It was a terse phone call that ended in Fornell demanding full access to the crime scene; he would send official FBI agents from the Georgia office to take over as well as a representative from the DC office. He could have local agents on site in just over an hour, he told them. He hung up again and hoped they would follow his instructions that nothing further was to be touched, though he knew it wasn't likely. He suddenly understood why Gibbs built a boat in his basement.

It was after midnight by the time Fornell decided to let his team go home. He packed up all the information they'd managed to draw together so far and tucked it into his briefcase. He waited until he was in his car and on the road before he pulled his cell phone from his pocket to call Agent Moore. They chatted for a few minutes. His ex-wife Diane and daughter Emily were packed up and on their way to Astoria, Oregon, a small town with enough tourism where they wouldn't be obvious as outsiders. Diane wasn't thrilled about being sent across the country on such short notice and he was sure she'd have a few words for him when they returned, but Agent Moore had assured him that Emily had seen it as a big adventure, and was more than happy to pack for her trip.

By the time he pulled into his driveway, the stabbing pain he'd been feeling at the base of his skull had turned to a dull ache now that he was certain his daughter was on her way across the country in the safe care of the FBI.

He pulled the mail from the mailbox and flipped through the bills, junk mail and newsletters as he walked up the front step until he came to a large manila envelope with no postage stamp. Dumping his briefcase on the table just inside the door, Fornell first poured himself a generous drink before standing by the dining room table to open the envelope. Inside was a black and white photo with a short note, _she's pretty_, scribbled on the back.

"_Damnit!"_ Fornell tossed the photograph onto the table and downed his scotch in one gulp.

---

Gibbs stared bleakly at the computer screen in front of him, his eyes occasionally jumping down to the paper beside his keyboard before returning to the screen to scan for any missed information. He was fed up with working their case side-by-side with the small town sheriff. They had found nothing, and the sheriff had all but given up, focusing on publicity rather than actually solving the case. DiNozzo had been treading on delicately thin ice all morning when it came to Gibbs patience with his sometimes childish behavior.

Ziva had been all too easily pulled in by Tony's boyish behavior, snickering at the names he was randomly tossing out to annoy McGee, and occasionally adding her own. Usually, when a case was as frustrating as the one they were working on, Gibbs felt he could count on Ziva to keep Tony under control.

McGee was the only one really getting any work done. The years of brotherly abuse handed out by Tony had taught him to ignore the insults. Gibbs glanced over at McGee and saw that he had a suspicious smile on his face, and Gibbs suspected that perhaps he was chatting with Abby rather than getting any work done.

"Well, well Probie? Is that your new girlfriend?" Tony rolled his chair over to McGee's desk and peered over his shoulder.

So maybe it wasn't Abby. Gibbs kept quiet. He wanted to know the answer.

"An old friend from high school, she just added me on Facebook."

_Good enough. I suppose Tony's childish antics do come in handy at times_, thought Gibbs. At least he wasn't chatting with Abby. "Get to work, both of you!"

"Yes boss."

Gibbs pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to refocus on the case at hand. Today was one of those days, he decided. It wasn't going to be a good one and he could feel it. He closed his eyes and thought of his boat, trying to ease the tension he felt in his forehead and focus. He really didn't need any more useless distractions.

The sound of a thick file thudding on his desk caused Gibbs to look up curiously at Fornell. "Tobias," Gibbs gave a little smirk. It was always fun when Tobias showed up at NCIS on official business. It usually ended in a pissing match between he and his friend, and it didn't take much effort to come out on top. "What can I do for you?"

Fornell flipped open the file to show Gibbs the photograph that had been stuffed in his mailbox. "We've got a problem."

----

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

_Sorry about the delay, I was out of town for the weekend. Glad people have been enjoying it thus far!_

_-----_

"_We've got a problem."_

Gibbs stared down at the black and white photo of Fornell smiling happily at Abby in a dimly lit bar. Fornell was right, they did have a problem. Gibbs didn't like the way he was looking at her. "What's this about?"

"Abby."

_I can see that._ Gibbs didn't give Fornell an answer; instead, he used a steely glare to encourage his friend to continue.

"I was involved in a case a year ago where a woman was held hostage on the lawn by the Washington Monument, and I-"

Gibbs cut him off. "Christ Fornell, the problem?" He didn't need the details; he needed to know Abby's involvement.

"We weren't able to save her, though we did kill the perpetrator, and apparently her boyfriend has been getting revenge by going after the agents involved, specifically targeting their significant others. Long story short-"

"-Please-"

"I found this in my mailbox. Apparently he thinks Abby is my girlfriend."

Gibbs almost would have laughed if he hadn't been concerned for Abby's safety. Almost. He lifted the photo to get a better look. He remembered that night. The team had ended up working a case with the FBI and although sharing with Fornell was not his strong point, Gibbs remembered that the outcome had been in their favor and both teams had gone for a drink that night at a local bar. Gibbs stood and looked to Tony, who was pretending not to listen. "DiNozzo, get Abby up here." He turned to look at Ziva, "Start gathering officers for protection detail-"

"That won't be necessary. DiNozzo, put the phone down." Fornell instructed. Tony sat with the phone halfway between its cradle and his ear, unsure of what to do. "I've already spoken with Abby. The way I see it, she has two options: The FBI can send her to a safe house, or she can play along and hopefully help us catch the bastard. She has agreed to help. I just came from her lab."

"No."

"No?" Fornell rocked back on his heels with an amused expression on his face. "And why is that, Jethro?"

"Because she belongs at NCIS, that's why. Remember the last time she went off to help the FBI? She wasn't happy about it. You need to clear Abby's participation in whatever undercover mission you think you're going to run, with me. And I say no."

"I'm not asking her to work at the FBI; she can keep working here for all I care. I just need her to play the part. You really want to get in a pissing match over your lab tech? Why?"

"She's mine, Tobias. Back off."

"I've got my own forensic tech, I don't need yours. This isn't about poaching one of your people. I need her help, and she agreed. I'll be here at seventeen hundred to pick her up." Fornell held his breath as he walked back toward the elevator, only allowing himself to breathe again once the elevator doors had shut and he was on his way back to the lobby. He'd half expected Gibbs to join him for a private conversation, though he was glad to have avoided it – at least for the moment.

As he walked back out to the car, Fornell pondered life with Abby. She was pretty… in her own way. She had agreed to tone down her Goth persona when they were out together, and to steer clear of the party scene until they were certain she was safe. She also agreed to his request that she move into his two story townhome and in exchange he agreed to upgrade his internet connection and sign up for Netflix. He would drive her to work each morning and pick her up on his way home. There would be an agent in his home at all times during the day, and two across the street where Mrs. Hanson lived around the clock. She had been happy to take the large sum of cash and a free vacation in exchange for the use of her home.

---

Gibbs watched the elevator doors close before he stepped around his desk and headed toward the back elevator to Abby's lab. He delivered a gruff 'get back to work' and noted, with satisfaction, that none of his agents questioned him. He was sure they had all heard enough to know where he was headed and why. He could feel the blood pounding through his veins as the elevator inched toward the lab, and he tried to take a few deep, calming breaths if only to calm himself so that he wouldn't frighten Abby.

Gibbs strode into Abby's lab like he had something to say, when in reality, he wasn't sure where to begin.

Abby was waiting for him. Fornell had been down to see her first, and she knew it was only a matter of time before Gibbs stalked in, demanding that she do the exact opposite of what Fornell had asked her to do. She wasn't, however, prepared for him to walk in and say nothing. Abby turned and leaned back against the table when she heard him walk in. She waited for him to speak, but when all he could do was stumble over her name, she helped him out. "What do you expect me to do, Gibbs? I can't just go off and hide somewhere." She let her features soften to reassure him. "I'm a big girl; I know what I'm doing. And Tobias will take care of me."

"I'll take care of you. I will keep you safe."

"You're always coming to my rescue, I'm sure you could use a break."

A slight look of hurt flashed in Gibbs' eyes. He always enjoyed being her knight, riding to the rescue. If he couldn't have what he truly wanted with her, than he would settle for the thrill of protecting what he couldn't have. Her suggestion that he needed a break from being the rock from which she drew her strength confirmed what he had always felt. He was too old for her, and tended to find enough of his own danger. How could she expect him to take on her demons when he couldn't even fight his own?

"Gibbs," Abby reached out to touch his arm. "No one does a better job at protecting me than you do, but this time… they aren't after you, they're after him - well, me, but it's because I was seen with him."

Gibbs moved to stand beside her and mimicked her stance, leaning back against the table. "Why were you sitting so close to him in the first place?"

_Abby watched as the red-headed woman stepped up beside Gibbs at the bar. Hell, he didn't even have to do anything; the red-headed women practically threw themselves at him. She didn't understand it, and maybe when she was a little less busy in the lab, she'd test out some theories. There had to be something scientific about it, there just had to be. _

"_Penny for your thoughts?"_

"_They are worth a lot more than a penny, but because we just solved a case, I'll share for free." Abby turned and smiled at Fornell. "I'm just checking out big red hitting on the bossman over there." Abby smiled at the nickname she made up for the woman invading Gibbs' personal space._

"_Oh?" Fornell immediately regretted asking the question._

"_Yeah, you know…" Abby knew she'd had more than enough to drink, and that she probably shouldn't open her mouth, but since the question had been asked, Abby found she really couldn't stop blabbering. "He always seems to have a red-head attached to his side, and from what I've seen he hasn't exactly gone looking. There has to be some sort of scientific explanation, like, maybe something in the way he smells. He does smell good. Have you smelled him? Maybe he smells extra good to people with red hair. Do I smell like I have black hair?"_

"_Diane doesn't have red hair and from what I understand, she threw herself at him."_

"_Hm, well… there very well may be kinks in my theory, but…"Abby nodded towards Gibbs. "Look at that. She's all over him and I bet they haven't even exchanged names yet."_

"_I wouldn't worry too much Abby."_

"_Worry?" Abby gave an exaggerated wave of her hand. "Psh, I'm not worried about Gibbs. He's a big boy and can take care of himself. Tell me more about Diane. How is Emily?"_

_Fornell smiled and touched the rim of his beer glass to Abby's. "Emily is good. She keeps talking about getting a tattoo on her neck though. Not sure how I feel about that. As for Diane… don't get me started. We're supposed to be celebrating the case tonight."_

"_Point taken."_

Abby crossed her arms defensively across her chest. "I do believe you were wrapped tightly around the red-head catch of the day."

Gibbs refused to fall into the trap of the 'was he or wasn't he' dating game with Abby, so he ignored her comment. There had been a beautiful red-head at the bar that night, she had walked over to talk to him, and he may have bought her a drink, but Gibbs considered himself to be a gentleman, and he wasn't about to pick up some random woman at a bar and take her home.

"Alright, well, Fornell was filling me in on Diane and I might have had a bit more to drink than I should have that night and… I could have been launching insults toward the red-head that made her way to our table to check you out."

Gibbs thought for a moment, he probably would've enjoyed Fornell's thoughts on Diane. They'd done their own fair share of story swapping over the years, but the stories never got old. Suddenly Gibbs was irritated that they had been close enough to be mistaken as Fornell's girlfriend. "You know you don't have to do this." There had to be a way to get Abby out of it.

"I know, but at least this way I don't have to leave for God knows how long. This way, I can still work at NCIS; I'll just have a different house to go home to at the end of the night."

Gibbs was glad that she would still be around, but the idea of calling Fornell's house 'home' had sparked a slight flame of jealousy in the pit of his stomach. "I'm sure we could figure something else out."

"I'm sure it won't be that bad. Fornell isn't so bad. You two are very similar in some ways."

"Not so sure that's a compliment, Abbs."

"Sure it is, he's a lot like you. Smart, loyal, kind, a little mean, and a lot stubborn." Abby smiled and socked him lightly in the arm. "You both married the same woman."

That point hit home for Gibbs – they had both fallen for the same woman once, what was to say it wouldn't happen again?

"Plus, people have died because of this guy. I want to help Fornell catch him so this guy can't tear apart any more lives. I want to feel like I've made a difference."

"I know you do, and you _do_ make a difference with your work here in the lab. Did you ever think that maybe you were supposed to be in the lab helping that way rather than setting yourself up as bait?"

"This way I can do both. Don't forget that I'll be here every day like usual, I promise." Abby covered her heart with her right hand. "Scout's honor."

"Scout's honor means nothing if you aren't a scout, Abbs."

"You paid attention to McGee when he gave his scouts a tour! That's so cute, Gibbs."

Gibbs ignored her attempt at humor, but gave up his attempt to change her mind. Once Abby had decided to do something there was no point in trying to change her mind, it wouldn't happen. "Alright, if you're sure, then do what you need to do. I won't stop you, but…"

"On the record, you don't approve. I understand."

"Just so we're clear." Gibbs leaned in to press his lips to her temple softly before heading back upstairs.

----

TBC….

Let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

I'm glad everyone is enjoying the fic so far, I love getting your feedback!

---

Time moved slowly for Gibbs as he sat at his desk. He'd been reading the same line over and over again as he tried to make it through the case file, only to find himself distracted by the idea of Fornell picking Abby up from work on a daily basis. It would be a constant reminder that, although he thought of Abby as his, she was really just another employee at NCIS. A quick glance at his watch told him he had just enough time to make a run for an afternoon Caf-Pow! and a trip to visit his favorite lab tech. _His_.

Gibbs muttered "_coffee" _as he stood; his agents knew that by "_coffee"_ he really meant_ "coffee and a Caf-Pow! for Abby"_, so they kept focused on the paperwork in front of them and didn't bother to answer. It wasn't until the elevator closed that Tony looked up at Ziva. "He's pissed."

"I think you may be right. He does not like Abby working for the FBI."

"At least she'll be here every day," McGee added. "Unlike the last time she helped them out. Remember when she worked over at their lab?"

The barista knew Gibbs well - his standard orders of a large black coffee and a Caf-Pow! two to three times a day made him hard to forget. Chelsea could tell by the number of times he came for coffee how his day was going, and by the looks of it, it wasn't a good day. "Abby needs another hit?" she asked. She was amused at the amount of Caf-Pow! Abby could drink. She'd only met Abby a few times - it was Gibbs who did most the purchasing of drinks - but she was surprised that anyone was able to drink so much of the sugary drink and not completely freak out.

Gibbs offered a weak smile. "Doesn't she always?"

Chelsea moved to the Caf-Pow! dispenser to start Abby's drink. "You know, I swear she must main-line the stuff." Chelsea knew that Gibbs tended to relax around the subject of his lab tech but was surprised when his shoulders remained tense at the mention of Abby. "I mean, have you tried the stuff? I won't drink it unless I've had like, no sleep whatsoever, and even then I might only have half a cup. She must be hardcore."

Gibbs nodded. He didn't feel like talking, not that he ever really did feel like talking, but Fornell's impending arrival meant he had other things on his mind. Gibbs handed her a ten dollar bill and turned toward the door. "Keep the change."

Sipping his coffee, Gibbs tried to relax on the elevator ride to Abby's lab. In reality, nothing would change. She'd still be in at work each day and he would still bring her Caf-Pow! in exchange for speedy results and the smile that she almost always put on his face. He stepped out of the elevator and headed into her lab. _The only difference_, he told himself, _is that she's going home somewhere else._ It wouldn't have an effect on him at all. He probably wouldn't see Fornell and he could just pretend…

Fornell was leaning back against the evidence table as Abby moved around the lab switching off machines, whispering goodnight as she went along. Abby was the first to notice Gibbs as he stood awkwardly in the threshold of her lab, a giant Caf-Pow! in one hand, his coffee in the other. "Gibbs!" Abby rushed towards him, coming to a halt inches away from where he stood. "Is that for me?" Abby licked her lips at the sight of her favorite drink and then looked up at Gibbs with a smile on her face.

"It certainly isn't for him." Gibbs nodded towards Fornell and pressed the drink into her hands.

"Thanks Gibbs, you always know what I need!" The irony wasn't lost on Gibbs; he knew what she needed. What she needed was for him to keep her safe, not for her to run off and play house with Fornell.

Fornell gave a slight nod toward her office. "Get your things Abby, it's been a long day and I'd like to get home, but we need to swing by your place first."

"Alright." Abby set her drink down on her desk and moved into her lab to gather her belongings.

Gibbs waited until she was out of earshot before turning to glare at his friend. He opened his mouth to speak, but Fornell beat him to it. "Before you get started again, I will take care of her. She won't be in any danger, I promise."

"You promise? Like that will keep a psycho from taking a shot at her while she's with you. Call it off, Fornell. Don't make her do this."

"I'm not making her do anything, but what do you even care?"

"I told you, she's _mine_. She isn't at the FBI's disposal like you seem to think. She belongs here at NCIS. With us." He stopped himself from saying _with me_, though he almost let it slip.

"Care to elaborate Jethro, or are you just going to lift your leg and mark her like a dog pissing on its property?"

Gibbs was about to retort, but he heard Abby just before she stepped back into the lab. Her white lab coat was hung by the door and she gathered a few things from her desk before picking up the Caf-Pow! and looking at Fornell. "Ready when you are."

Fornell let Abby lead the way toward the elevator and gave Gibbs a steely glance before following. Abby didn't turn around until she was in the elevator but she expected to see Gibbs standing with them. "Where's Gibbs?"

"I thought he was behind me."

"Oh." Abby peered out into the hallway, stepping back inside the elevator just as the doors closed.

---

Inside her apartment, Abby left Fornell sitting on the couch while she packed up a large suitcase with clothes, books, a few DVDs, her laptop and various other things she thought she might need. When she was finished, Fornell carried her suitcase down the flight of steps to the ground floor and then rolled it out to his car. The ride back to Fornell's house was quiet. It had been years since Abby had lived with anyone full time, and as loud as she liked her music, she needed quiet space away from the world as well. Abby smiled as they turned onto Fornell's street. Never in her life did she imagine that she would be living on such a well-manicured street. The fronts of the houses were painted in complementing colors, and the front yards had all been professionally landscaped and were obviously well-kept.

Fornell pulled up in front of his town home, but before he turned off the engine he nodded to the house across the street. "There will be at least two agents in that house at all times with eyes on the front of the house. Keep that in mind if for some reason you need help and no one is around."

Abby noted the house number and nodded. It was nice to know, but she had Gibbs on speed dial. If no one was around and she needed help, there was no way she was going to depend on two agents she didn't know. Abby followed Fornell up the front step and inside. She was surprised to see three men sitting around in the living room, but Fornell didn't seem surprised, so Abby relaxed.

"Abby, this is my team, and one of them will be in the house at all times. They are on rotating eight-hour shifts, to keep the house secure. Even if we aren't here we will be sure that no one else is getting in. This is Agent Cunningham, Agent Moore and Agent Terry."

"Hi, I'm Abby." Abby reached out and shook hands with the blond agent first. He reminded her immediately of Tony with the way his suit was neatly pressed and his hair gelled a certain way. He smiled widely at her, and it put her at ease.

"I'm Donny Cunningham, and my shift is 0600 to 1400, so I'll be around for breakfast before you get to work." He leaned in with an even wider grin. "How do you like your eggs in the morning?"

Abby tried not to giggle, but she couldn't help it. As much as he reminded her of Tony, even Tony would've had a better pickup line than that.

Before she could answer, Agent Moore stepped forward. "My name is Jack Moore and I will be here from 2200 to 0600." He smiled politely, and Abby shook his hand, but he seemed a bit serious for her taste, maybe even a male version of Ziva if she dared to think too much on the subject. He was well groomed, but much like Gibbs, it wasn't so much about quality as it was about comfort. She was certain he had bought his shirt at the last Sears sale. Maybe he had run into Gibbs.

"I'm Russ Terry and I'll be here from 1400 to 2200, so I'll be around when you get home from work." Although Abby considered herself to be tall, but Russ was taller. His wavy dark hair was combed back, and Abby couldn't help but smile at the round glasses he wore. _Very Harry Potter meets Jimmy Palmer_, she decided.

"Ah, cool." Abby shook his hand as well. He seemed nice and she figured it would be good to have someone around to talk to since she wasn't sure how much she and Fornell had in common. With Russ Terry on duty, Fornell let the others go and then directed Abby upstairs to what would be her room until she moved back out.

The room wasn't big, and it was a bit too pink for Abby's taste, but she knew Emily loved the color, and she adored Emily, so she decided she could handle the pink. Fornell had hastily cleared off a few shelves and half of the closet so that she wouldn't have to live out of her suitcase. The blinds were pulled shut since her window was facing the street, and she was asked to keep them that way as a precautionary measure.

Abby was left alone to unpack the things she brought. First things first, Abby set up a photo of the team on the bedside table. She knew she'd see them daily, but being somewhere new, she needed all the comfort she could get. Next she moved to unpack the clothes she had brought with her. She was certain Tony would laugh at her toned down Goth attire. She still had mostly black and white items of clothing, but she'd left her short skirts behind in favor of pain black pants. She had brought her clunky boots along, but had also grabbed a few other types of shoes. She knew the flats would knock a few inches of her height, but she was in no danger of being called short, so she wasn't too upset at the idea of wearing them. The classic black heels she had brought along were for special occasions only. She knew she was playing the part of Fornell's girlfriend, and she figured they would likely be out and about playing the role the best they knew how.

With the majority of her stuff put away, Abby headed downstairs to find Fornell and Agent Terry looking over some papers. They looked up at the sound of her footsteps and Russ pointed toward the kitchen. "We got pizza for dinner tonight. Help yourself."

"Thanks." Abby grabbed a plate and piece of pizza before pouring herself a glass of water and joining the guys at the dining table. "What are those?"

"Just the schedules for the agents." Fornell pushed them aside. "Abby, we need to talk about a few things."

"Sure, like what?" Abby took a bite of her pizza.

"First of all, you can't go anywhere alone."

"Who are you, my father? I'm not sixteen anymore, Fornell. Let's not forget that." This was going to be a long few weeks if she couldn't see her friends. She didn't see herself having all that much fun with Fornell in the evenings or on weekends.

"The others that have been attacked were alone when it happened. There will always be an agent at the house, but if you need to go somewhere, I need to go with you, or else we need to call in another agent. When you are at work, you aren't to leave the NCIS building unless you are with someone. I made a promise to Gibbs that nothing would happen to you. He'll rip my head off if I return you with even the smallest scratch."

"Probably. But what if I want to do something with a friend? I know I said I wouldn't go clubbing, but what if I just want to watch a movie or something?"

"They can come here, I have no problem with that, just let me know so I can inform the agents across the street so they will expect someone."

"Can I go over and visit Gibbs, or Tony, or… anyone from the team?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. If we're trying to convince this guy that we're a couple, I think it would be a little odd for you to be visiting another man." Fornell noticed her little pout and then kept talking. "We don't know how much this guy is watching, but he knew when Agent Burton would be headed to the gym, so that suggests he was watching closely enough to know their schedule. But maybe we can set something up with Ziva. It would be signing a death warrant to mess with you while she is around."

"Alright. Anything else I should know? I've promised a friend to read over her research article on electrophysiology. See, she's taken measurements of voltage change on a wide variety of…" Abby trailed off when Fornell and Agent Terry exchanged a quick glance. _They aren't interested in science, Abby_. She decided she could call Gibbs later to tell him. She knew he wasn't all that interested in science either, but he'd listen to her ramble for a few minutes, giving her the feeling that she had been able to explain something new. He'd let her feel important.

It was shortly past mid-night when Abby finished up the article. It was still a rough draft but Abby was very impressed with the piece of work her friend presented. She noted a few changes and sent them back via e-mail before powering down her lap-top, changing into her pajamas and crawling into bed. She tried to sleep. It was past mid-night, so she was sure Gibbs was past caring about some article written by her friend. She set the alarm on the clock by her bed for 0530, pulled the blanket up around her shoulders and closed her eyes. Abby lay quietly for forty minutes, until 0100, before snaking an arm out to grab her phone, pulling the fluffy comforter over her head and pressing number one on her speed dial.

"_Hello…?"_ His voice was heavy with the remnants of sleep.

"Gibbs." Abby's voice was a low whisper.

"_Abby? Are you ok?"_ He was out of bed in a flash_. "Where are you? Are you ok? Give me an address and I'll pick you up."_

Abby could hear the rustle of clothes. "Relax, Gibbs. I don't need you to pick me up. I'm ok, I'm at Fornell's, remember? I just can't sleep and I wanted to talk to you. Sorry I woke you up."

Gibbs sighed and pulled the sweatshirt back off. _"It's alright, Abbs. You can call me anytime. What's up?"_

"I understand why Diane divorced Fornell."

Gibbs laughed.

"I mean, why anyone would divorce you is beyond me, but Fornell. He's miserable."

Gibbs pulled the blanket back over himself and settled against the mattress. _"Where are you?"_

"I'm staying in Emily's room, it's not like I'm going to cuddle up to him at night. I draw the line there."

"_Yeah."_

"He isn't my type…"

"_Too old?"_

"That's not it. It's three little letters, Gibbs. F.B.I. And the self-righteous attitude that comes with it. " Abby smiled when she heard the faint chuckle over the phone and then a yawn. "Sorry Gibbs, go back to sleep. I didn't mean to wake you. I figured you'd be working on your boat."

"_Call me, Abbs. Anytime you need to chat. It doesn't matter what time it is, I've got time for you."_

"Thanks, Gibbs. I will. Good night."

"_Night, Abbs."_

Abby pushed her cell phone back onto the nightstand, buried her face against the pillow and slept.

--

"_Call me, Abbs. Anytime you need to chat. It doesn't matter what time it is, I've got time for you."_

"_Thanks, Gibbs. I will. Good night."_

"_Night, Abbs."_

Gibbs hung up and looked at the photo of Abby on the small screen. She had insisted on attaching everyone's photo to their number so their face popped up every time one of the team called.

"Night, Abbs." He repeated once more as he put his phone back on the bedside table. He fell asleep with a faint smile on his lips.

---

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

So the phone call was a nice added touch, huh? At least that's the feedback I've received. Enjoy ch 4.

----

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!"

Gibbs turned away from the plasma to catch a blurry glimpse of Abby before he found himself wrapped in an Abby-hug, steadying them both. He had been taken by surprise as he normally heard the heavy clunk of her boots before she rounded the corner from the back elevator. "Hey Abbs, you okay?"

When she pulled back to speak, he automatically gave her a look over for any signs of injury or distress. "I missed you!" Abby turned to look at Ziva, then Tony and Tim. "I've missed you all!"

Tony checked the time on his watch. "Abby, it's 0900. We've only been here an hour, how could you miss us already?"

Stepping away from Gibbs, Abby made her way around the squad room to hug the other agents. "I know, but I'm living with Fornell now, and I just… I missed you." After she hugged Tim she moved over to Gibbs' desk and sat down in his chair.

"Abbs?" Gibbs looked down at her, unsure of what exactly she was doing.

"Yeah?"

"You lost?"

"Nope."

"You need something?"

"Nope."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow and nodded at her feet which she had propped up on his desk. "You plan on telling me why you're sitting at my desk?"

"Just wondering what it feels like to be the boss."

"Abby." It was a slight warning; though he knew there wasn't much she could do while they waited on the results on the DNA Ducky had sent her, Gibbs didn't need her playing around in the squad room distracting his agents.

"Right, I'll move. See you guys later." Gibbs helped pull her to her feet and with a wave of her hand Abby headed back to the lab.

Gibbs smiled and shook his head as he moved to the chair that Abby had been sitting on.

Tony whispered to McGee as they moved to their desks, "McProbie, anyone else would've left in a body bag."

---

Gibbs felt like he and his team were running in circles when it came to the petty officer they were after and it was well after lunch before Gibbs made it down to visit Abby. She was leaning over the evidence table examining something he couldn't see. Her foot was tapping along to the beat of a song he knew he'd heard before and her head bobbed side to side. He stepped up behind her and set a Caf-Pow on her left and a little something else on her right.

Since the music had masked his arrival, Abby startled briefly before it registered that it was Gibbs. "Gibbs! What's this for?"

Gibbs motioned to the shelf above Abby's computer. "Your other one… it looked lonely."

"That's soooo sweet." Abby hugged the small stuffed monkey before setting on the shelf next to Bert and turning back to Gibbs with a smile. "You do know that this won't get you a DNA match any sooner, right?"

"Not everything I do is to bribe you for results, Abbs."

"Good to know." Abby motioned for him to step beside her at the computer. "I might not have DNA for you yet, but I do have a little something. I managed to pull the call records off the mangled mess of a cell phone you brought in. There was only one incoming call and it was from this number." Abby scribbled down the number and slipped the paper into his shirt pocket.

Gibbs leaned in to place a tender kiss over Abby's temple. "Good work, Abbs. Call me when you've got the DNA."

Abby watched him walk away and then shouted after him, "You're on speed dial!"

---

Gibbs had nearly forgotten about Abby's new living arrangements until he looked up at the sound of Abby's voice.

"What are we having for dinner tonight, Tobias?" Abby smiled at the look Fornell gave her as they rounded the corner from the back elevator to walk through the squad room toward the front elevator. "What? We're dating now, so I figure we should be on a first name basis, don't you? I think it would be weird to call my boyfriend by his last name."

Tobias shrugged, she had a point. "I can't take too much time to sit down for dinner - I've promised Agent Johnson from Anaheim that I would look over his report from that double homicide last weekend and then I have some papers to go through that were sent up from Atlanta. We can grab something to go on the way home."

Gibbs watched silently as they discussed their plans for the evening. He couldn't help but notice that Abby looked a little discouraged at the fact that she would essentially be ignored once they made it home. Abby didn't mind being by herself, but she was social. The worst thing you could do to her was ignore her.

Abby smiled at him as she passed his desk. "Night Gibbs, goodnight guys." Tony, Ziva and McGee echoed her goodnight, and Gibbs gave a little nod.

On the way home, Fornell was fairly silent, only asking where she preferred to stop to grab dinner. She chose a little Italian place that Tony had told her about. They got their order to go, and Abby held the warm containers on her lap as they drove home.

Agent Terry was sitting on the couch watching an old episode of Oprah when they got home. "Hey boss, all is well here. No movement, nothing. Checked in with the agents across the street about an hour ago. There was one car that came down the street this morning that wasn't one of the cars registered to any owners, but it turns out it belongs to a woman that cleans a house four houses down."

"Good." Fornell took two plates down from the cabinet and then reached for a third. "You eat yet Terry?"

"Yeah boss, my mom packed a dinner for me. I just finished."

Abby bit her lip to stop from laughing out loud and noticed a small smile on Fornell's face before it disappeared. Fornell dished up his plate and then retrieved his briefcase before disappearing upstairs into his office. Abby watched him leave before dishing up her own plate and then sitting down at the dining table alone. "No wonder Diane divorced him."

"What was that?" Russ looked over his shoulder at her, though it was easy to see that his attention was clearly still focused on the TV.

"Nothing. Just talking to myself." He was completely focused back on his program before Abby could finish. She finished her dinner, set her plate in the dishwasher and put away the leftovers. She sat beside Russ to watch TV, but when he switched from Oprah to Dr. Phil she gave up and headed up to her room. She was quick to fire-up her lap top and was delighted to see a few friends online. They weren't online long, only enough time for a quick hello and to invite her to a party that night at her favorite club. She briefly considered playing rebellious teenager and sneaking out without Fornell or Russ knowing, but figured that the agent's across the street wouldn't miss her creeping down Fornell's driveway. There was also the thought that some psycho might be waiting just beyond the safety of the front door.

While her friends partied away, Abby slipped a DVD in and let herself get carried away into a fantasy world where the bad guy was always caught, and the good guy had chiseled abs and a sexy accent. As the credits rolled, Abby yawned and looked over at the clock. 2300. She was surprised that she hadn't heard the changing of the guard downstairs.

Jack Moore was just headed upstairs to announce his arrival when Abby stepped out of her room. "The boss up here?"

"Hiding in his office." Abby pointed to the door across the hall and then headed to the bathroom to follow her nightly routine. When she came out again, Jack was still standing in the doorway talking to Fornell. Abby wished them both a pleasant night and then headed to bed. She tossed and turned again for nearly an hour before reaching for her cell phone. _It's only mid-night; Gibbs must be awake still_, Abby rationalized.

"_Abby."_ This time, when the phone pulls him from sleep he knows it's her, so he takes the time to clear his throat and sound awake.

"He irritates the hell out of me."

"_It's only your second night."_ His soft chuckle broke the usual silence of his bedroom. _"I've got the name of a couple's counselor. Though, I can't attest to the success rate."_

Abby pushed her face against her pillow to suppress her own laugh. "Let's be real. This relationship was never meant to last. If this psycho killer doesn't come after me soon, I might go looking for him myself."

"_Abby…"_

"It was a joke Gibbs. Fornell is just so… so dreary. Honestly, he needs a basement so he can build a boat. He really needs _something _to do."

"_What is he doing?"_

"Hiding in his office, I guess. I'm bored Gibbs. Maybe _I _need a basement to build a boat while I'm here."

"_Get some sleep. He's trying as hard as he can to get this guy, and then you can go home."_ Gibbs hated to defend Fornell, but it was true.

"I know. Thanks, Gibbs."

"_Night Abby." _

----

The rest of the first week went by in a similar fashion. Abby had never been so thankful to spend long days at NCIS. Team Gibbs seemed to catch one case after another and with the massive load of forensic evidence, Abby was forced to work late the remainder of the week, arriving at eight when Fornell dropped her off, and getting picked up when they finished for the night around nine or ten. Fornell didn't speak much when they did spend time together. He usually disappeared up to his office after they had a quick bite to eat, and he usually left her to chat with whichever agent was in the house at the time.

Each night before bed, Abby called Gibbs to check in one last time, even if she'd just left the office the hour before. Their calls were quick, but the reassuring sound of Gibbs' voice put her at ease before she drifted asleep. Gibbs would whisper a goodnight and smile when Abby muttered something in return before snapping her phone shut.

The weekend wasn't much better. They made a quick run to the grocery store together, but had walked stiffly down the aisle side by side as they picked up a few items to make lunch and cook dinner. She enjoyed her time most when Donny Cunningham was in the house. He brought along his X-box and it didn't take long for her to master Burnout.

Gibbs kept both Tony and McGee busy all weekend, but gave Ziva a few hours off to visit with Abby and take a bit of the edge off of being stuck in Fornell's house all weekend. There wasn't anything that Abby could do in the lab, and since there weren't many people in the NCIS building, Gibbs thought it would be safer for her to stay home.

Abby stifled her laugh and tried not to encourage Donny as he shamelessly flirted with Ziva and she intentionally ignored the irritated looks from Ziva. After a quick lunch and a few lessons on car racing on an X-box, Ziva's phone rang and Gibbs asked her to come back in. Abby was reluctant to see her friend go, but she put on a smile anyway. She didn't need Ziva around to win another round of Burnout against Donny.

The way the week had gone, she knew it was no way to convince anyone of their relationship, and if she had been in the killers place, she would've given up on finding a loop-hole in their schedule in order to make the kill. _Sadly,_ she thought, _this guy never would_. "Something has to change."

----

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

Whew, I had family in town this weekend – thus the delay. Poor Abby was bored at home with Fornell. Things are about to change!

----

By the start of week two Fornell had recognized how unhappy Abby seemed to be. He'd hardly spoken to her during the days of the first week and she usually disappeared up to her room right after dinner while he worked in his office. When he dropped her off for work Monday morning, he thought he'd try a different approach.

"I was thinking maybe we could grab a bite downtown and see that movie they've been playing commercials for the past few weeks. You know, something fun?"

Abby's eyes lit up. "Dinner and a movie? That's like a real date, Tobias."

"I figure we should probably make an effort. We'll get an undercover agent in the theater with us. I don't like that it's so dark, but I don't think you'll be in any danger."

"Sounds good. See you at five?" Abby waited for him to confirm before getting out of the car and heading in towards the lobby. She smiled and waved to security as she showed her badge. In her lab there was a Caf-Pow! waiting on her desk with a post-it note from Gibbs. He had left a sample of a sticky substance they'd found at the crime scene they'd been called to in the early morning hours. She hummed a happy tune as she moved from computer to Major Mass Spec and over to the plasma to switch everything on.

It didn't take long to load the substance so that Major Mass Spec could do the dirty work, so her attention was soon focused back on the computer screen when she heard hurried footsteps and the sound of her Caf-Pow! spilling out over the floor.

"Timmy!"

"Sorry, Abby… I wasn't watching where I was going. I'll… I'll get you a new one." McGee grabbed a roll of paper-towels and began to mop up the spilled Caf-Pow.

Abby frowned, but turned her attention back to the computer while McGee wiped up the sticky red mess from the floor.

"Whatcha got for me, Abbs?"

Abby hardly glanced over her shoulder from her spot by the computer when Gibbs entered. She had just about been ready to reach for her drink when McGee spilled it. "A spilled Caf-Pow."

Gibbs reached around her to place a fresh drink by her keyboard. "I _said_, whatcha got for me, Abbs?"

Abby grinned and turned to wrap her arms around Gibbs in a tight hug. "You're the only one I could ever love, Gibbs! You always know when I need a new one." With that she turned and stuck her tongue out at McGee. "You're just in time my silver fox, Major Mass Spec has just finished."

"You plan on making me wait?"

"I just aim for a little suspense."

"Abby, do you know what it is, or not?"

"Jell-o shots."

"What?"

"The sticky blue stuff you found on the kitchen counter. I'm surprised Tony didn't figure it out. They must've been having a party, because it's blue raspberry jell-o and vodka. They taste pretty good, actually, though I prefer lime jell-o myself. Well, not that I do jell-o shots often, but if I had the choice I would pick lime. What flavor of jell-o shots do you prefer, Gibbs?"

"Never tried one, Abbs."

"Never tried one? Gibbs, you need a little culture in your life."

"I get plenty of drinking culture by working with DiNozzo."

"Yeah, and on your boat." Abby muttered.

Gibbs raised his eyebrows at her and tilted his head slightly. "Is that all you got for me?"

"Is that all? That's all you sent for me to check! Who do you think I am Gibbs? I don't randomly create new evidence for you." Abby calmed and smiled when she realized he was just teasing.

Gibbs smiled and waited for Abby to offer her cheek for his usual kiss. He was nearly out the door before he turned around. "McGee?"

"Yeah, boss?"

"Don't touch her Caf-Pow."

---

"That was the scariest movie I've seen in a long time. The blood and guts were great! I'm going to have to see that again." Abby babbled joyfully alongside Fornell as they walked from the movie theater to a fifties diner down the street.

"I really don't get why you'd watch something like that. Won't it give you nightmares?"

"Nightmares? Tobias, I'm not ten. Movies don't give me the creeps. Ex-boyfriends who stalk me do."

Fornell raised an eyebrow. "Understandable. I've heard you're no stranger to stalkers."

"I better not be the gossip of the FBI."

"No no, nothing like that. I've just heard there have been a few close calls."

"From who?"

"Jethro. He worries about you."

"Oh." Abby was glad that the dark of the evening hid her blush.

They were seated in the far back corner and it didn't take long for their orders to be placed and their food to arrive.

"So," Abby asked as she dipped a fry into the ketchup on her plate. "How often is Emily with you?"

"Every other weekend, Wednesday evenings, and various holidays. Not as much as I'd like, but with the way the FBI keeps me busy, it's for the best."

"Have you gotten to speak to her now that she's away until this case is solved?"

"No." Fornell shook his head. "No, not yet. Soon I hope."

"That must be hard."

"It is, but Diane is a great mother, so I know she's in good hands."

"That's good to hear, Tobias. Too often kids get caught up in their parents fighting – always bad mouthing one another. I'm glad you recognize Diane's parenting skills, even if she is a bitch."

Fornell reached across the table and briefly rested his hand over Abby's. "Thanks. That means a lot."

Abby smiled in return. Now that he had lightened up a bit, he wasn't so bad to be around.

---

Abby squealed with delight when Fornell picked her up on Tuesday and suggested bowling with the nuns. He'd already arranged for a group of agents to be at the bowling alley, and judging by the fact that Abby had wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, he knew he'd done well with the idea.

At the bowling alley the nuns peppered her with questions about her new relationship until Sister Rosita picked up on her discomfort and pulled her into the hallway leading towards the bathrooms. "Abigail, when exactly did you plan on telling the truth?"

Abby cringed at the use of her full name. "The truth?"

"Tobias seems like a lovely man, and I'm sure you have lots of fun together, but I can tell that you aren't in love. What's going on?"

Abby hesitated a moment and then sighed. "I… I can't tell you. He isn't my boyfriend, or whatever you want to call it. This is about work. I would tell you more if I could, but… I can't. I'm sorry."

"Are you in danger?"

Abby figured one small white lie wouldn't hurt. "No, and this is actually more about his work, not mine. He's FBI. I'm just helping him out. He's a friend of Gibbs."

Sister Rosita's eyes sparkled at the mention of Gibbs. "How is Agent Gibbs?"

Abby smiled. Sister Rosita knew Gibbs well and always asked about him when she saw Abby. "He's good. Things have been busy at NCIS, but I'm sure he'll stop by for a visit once things settle down a bit."

"I look forward to his visit. Let's get back out there. I don't want the others to worry that we've skipped out on them."

When they rounded the corner Abby couldn't help but laugh. Tobias had a nun on either side of him, both trying to correct his bowling stance much to the dissatisfaction of the other. Fornell glanced back over his shoulder at her, and by the look in his eyes she knew he was begging for help. Abby sat back with a smug smile on her face. She had the feeling this was going to be a fun evening.

---

Abby laughed as they walked out to the car. "High score of 82, I couldn't be more impressed Tobias. Well done."

Fornell grumbled something about spending his free time on more important things.

"Sure, sure. But once this is all over, you should take Emily bowling. She would like it."

"I'm sure she would."

"We could go bowling with the nuns again. I'm sure they would be so distracted by Emily that you could actual bowl without going through proper bowling technique each time you step up to the lane."

"I don't see why we couldn't do something like that. I know Emily would enjoy herself." They rode home in comfortable silence, Abby nodding off a few miles from the house. Fornell nudged her shoulder softly when he pulled into the driveway to wake her. "We're home."

Abby rubbed her eyes and followed Fornell up the front step. She gave a cautionary glance once over her shoulder, but nothing felt out of the ordinary. After locking the door, she wished Fornell and Agent Terry a good night and headed up the stairs.

It wasn't that late but Abby was exhausted, so she climbed the stairs to her room and got ready for bed. She climbed under the covers after setting her alarm for the following morning. She was nearly asleep when she remembered that she hadn't called Gibbs, nor had she called him the evening before. She could hardly open her eyes to see the screen on her phone, but she just wanted to say a quick good night.

"_Yeah, Gibbs."_

"Hi Gibbs."

"_Abby? You okay?"_

"Yeah, I'm okay. Why?"

"_You usually call later than this. It's only ten."_

"Ah," Abby muffled a yawn. "I know but I'm going to bed early. It's been a long evening. We went bowling with the nuns this evening. Sister Rosita says hello."

"_Thank you. Bowling, huh?"_

"Yeah it was…" Abby fought another yawn. "…a lot of fun. I bowled a 164. Tobias…." Abby giggled. "He bowled a high of 82."

"_Tobias bowled an 82, huh?"_ Abby missed the way he said Tobias' name. "_Alright Abby, I'm glad you had fun."_

"Mm hmm."

"_Get some sleep."_

"Uh huh."

"_Goodnight Abby."_

"Night Gibbs."

---

Gibbs hung up and set his phone on the workbench before returning to the boat. On the one hand he was glad that Abby was getting out. Monday at work he could tell she'd been a little down having spent the entire weekend at home with Fornell and with nothing to do. On the other hand, the way she easily tossed around "Tobias this… Tobias that…" was a reminder of the relationship, whatever it was, that was forming between them.

----

TBC…


	6. Chapter 6

Abby spun circles in her chair as she waited on Gibbs. He'd called down when he first arrived to let her know that they had been called out right away, but that he would stop by as soon as they returned. She stopped spinning and stood up when AFIS beeped, alerting her to a match. _Oh my_, Abby stumbled as the room continued to move around her. She scrambled to grab hold of the corner of the evidence table as she swayed, but found herself steadied as two hands gripped her waist.

"Careful, Abbs."

"Good catch, Gibbs." Abby paused a moment to allow the room the stop spinning. "Always showing up at the perfect time, thanks."

Gibbs smirked and gave her waist a slight squeeze before letting her step away.

Abby stepped up to the desk to see what AFIS had come up with. "You got something for me? I'm running prints for Agent Larsen, but it's nothing high-priority and it's a little boring."

"So the spinning isn't part of finding results?"

Abby grinned. "Not exactly, it's more about waiting for results. It makes time go a bit faster. I think. Anyway, you have something for me?"

"Don't I always?" Gibbs winked before pulling a small evidence bag from his pocket. "It's a bit mangled, but…?"

Abby's smile melted into a frown as she held the bullet up. "I'm not sure if I can get a 100% match, but I'll see what I can do." At Gibbs' silent question she continued, "Sorry, wrong answer. I _will _make a match."

"Good." He leaned forward to kiss her cheek, but pulled back when Abby turned towards him and started to talk.

"You know, you really owe Sister Rosita a visit. She asked about you."

"I know. You had fun bowling last night?"

Abby grinned. "I did. You should've seen the sisters, they were all over Tobias. They kept arguing over how to teach him to bowl properly, and he looked like a scared child between them. I couldn't stop laughing. We had fun though. I suggested that we take Emily bowling with the nuns when this is all over. I think Emily would appreciate doing something fun like that."

"I'm sure she would." Gibbs quickly kissed her cheek and turned on his heel. The idea of Abby, Fornell, and Emily spending time together, like a family, brought too many emotions to the surface and the easiest thing to do was leave. Thoughts of Abby falling for Fornell swirled into thoughts of the family life that he had lost. He never had the chance to take Kelly bowling.

Abby worked hard on the bullet, and with the help of McGee was able to get a match to the gun that had been discovered a few miles from the crime scene. She sat at Gibbs' desk while the agents stood in front of the plasma discussing the case. Gibbs had left them to talk it over while he was up with the director.

"You know, the evidence is pointing at the marine's wife, but something just doesn't sit right." Tony paced back and forth behind the rest of the team.

"Tony." Ziva glared at him. "Just because she is pretty doesn't mean that she didn't kill him."

"I know that, Ziva. I just have a funny feeling in my gut."

"Oh, so we're following your gut now?" McGee added.

"Shut up, McLoser."

"Abby, you ready to leave?" The entire team turned at the sound of Fornell's voice.

"Well, at least that explains the funny feeling in your gut, Tony." Ziva gave a slight nod towards Fornell.

Tony smirked. "I never said I had completely honed my skills."

"Sure. I've got my stuff with me." Abby picked up her jacket and her purse and linked her arm through his as they headed toward the elevator. "What are we doing tonight?"

"You're a demanding girlfriend, aren't you?"

"Gotta keep you on your toes, Tobias."

"Apparently." The elevator reached the parking garage and they walked out towards his car. "How about we grab an ice cream? I've got something to run by you."

"Something to run by me?"

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad."

"Good. I like ice cream."

---

"So, I'd have to wear a dress?"

"Yes."

Abby swirled her spoon around the melted ice cream in her bowl. "What does it benefit?"

"Every year we have a community leadership award which goes out to an individual or organization that has worked to support local crime and drug prevention. The proceeds from this formal will go toward that."

"So it's just a big, fancy dinner?"

"Basically."

"And you'll buy me a new dress?"

"Don't you have something you could wear?"

"Nothing that would be seen as appropriate for a bunch of FBI big-wigs."

"Not sure I even want to know. I guess I could shell out for a new dress." Fornell raised a brow. "I do have a reputation to watch out for."

Abby socked him playfully in the arm. "I would hit you harder, but I guess in some ways you might be right. So, is there price limit I have to work with here?"

"Be reasonable. I'm FBI, not rich."

"Oh come on, can't you whip your FBI platinum card?"

Fornell grunted at the thought of an FBI platinum card. He was FBI, not the president.

"Can I ask Ziva to go shopping with me?"

"I'm sure that can be arranged for the weekend, if Jethro doesn't have her in the office all weekend. I have budget meetings both Saturday and Sunday, so I'll be gone most of the day."

"Budget meetings, huh? Do those leave you as cranky as they leave Gibbs? He's a bear after those and we all tend to stay out of his way for an hour or two."

Fornell laughed. "I don't blame you."

Abby set down her spoon, her expression turning serious. "I blame Vance. He knows how much Gibbs hates those meetings. I think he has Gibbs go to those things just to piss him off."

"You blame Leon for a lot of things, don't you?"

"He's toyed with the team quite a bit. But whatever, I don't want to talk about that." Abby scooped up some ice cream. "Want a bite?"

----

Vincent Kain sat back and sipped his coffee as he watched Tobias and Abby eat their ice cream across the street at the ice cream shop. It reminded him of the last time he'd been out with Jillian; Cold Stone Creamery was one of their favorite places for a date. They'd laughed over something silly and he had kissed a drop of ice cream from her lip. _The FBI agent doesn't deserve his beautiful young girlfriend_, Vincent decided silently. He watched as the young woman smiled and laughed, and Tobias Fornell sat back his expression emotionless. Vincent couldn't understand how a woman could love someone so cold.

He flipped open the file of information he'd managed to dig up on both Agent Fornell and his girlfriend. He was surprised that such a hard-nosed FBI agent would end up with someone like Abby Sciuto. He knew about Fornell's ex-wife and daughter, and figured that perhaps Miss Sciuto was part of his mid-life crisis. The only part that didn't fit was that Abby seemed to enjoy herself with Fornell. She didn't act like the typical gold digger with the older man. He wondered briefly if Fornell was good in bed.

He watched from the corner of his eye as Abby scooped up some ice cream and offered it across the table. He wanted to gag when Fornell accepted and Abby fed him the bite.

_I deserve to be loved like that. _

_I was loved like that._

The FBI took it all away. Vincent was prepared to do the same. "I'll talk to you soon, Miss Sciuto." He finished his coffee, gathered his papers and left.

----

TBC…


	7. Chapter 7

Poor Gibbs….

----

Thursday was busy at NCIS and with case after case coming in, evidence began to pile up in Abby's lab. She spent the morning babying Major Mass Spec, and cooing appreciatively each time AFIS gave her a match. Gibbs had brought down a Caf-Pow! first thing in the morning and then again after lunch, but she was still fighting to keep up with the evidence that she found stacking up around her. Fornell has been picking her up at five, though by three she knew she wouldn't be ready to leave by then. She called and left a message for Fornell to let him know that she'd likely need an extra few hours at work that evening and that she would call when she was ready for him to pick her up.

Gibbs ordered his team to keep out of her lab as much as possible so that she could get her work done with a limited number of distractions. He knew that, although she was serious about her work, a visit from Tony could easily turn into playtime in the lab. He knew Abby was working late - she'd let him know that although she'd finished everything that he needed, she was going to stay late to work through the evidence from another team.

It was nearly six o'clock and the squad room was quiet, with only the sound of agents tapping away at their reports breaking the silence. Although their case had been open-and-shut, the paperwork involved with a double homicide on a Navy base would keep them there for at least another hour, if not two. Deciding he needed coffee and that Abby could probably use another Caf-Pow!, Gibbs headed for his usual coffee stop.

Gibbs waited patiently for his turn to order. "Black coffee and a Caf-Pow!"

Chelsea looked shocked. "Abby needs another one already?"

"Another one?" Gibbs looked at his watch. It had been roughly five hours since he'd brought Abby her Caf-Pow! earlier in the afternoon.

"Yeah, well, there is only one person around here who drinks it, so I assume the man that bought a Caf-Pow! ten minutes ago had bought it for Abby. You know, we really only have that because of her. If she didn't drink so much of the stuff, we likely wouldn't carry it-" Chelsea wasn't sure what she had said wrong, but Gibbs had taken off at a run abandoning the coffee she'd set in front of him.

A million thoughts went through Gibbs' mind as he raced back to NCIS. They weren't certain what Vincent Kain looked like at this point as there were no recent photos, and they also weren't convinced that he had acted alone. He took the stairs two at a time and remembered the last time he'd raced to her lab. They had just figured out it was Chip that had framed Tony and the fear that gripped Gibbs when he realized Chip was alone with Abby in her lab was enough to make him sick to his stomach.

He ran as though her life depended on it, thinking briefly about the time Terry Spooner had hired a hit man to kill her so that she wouldn't be able to testify.

The suicide note Mikel had fabricated made his stomach turn.

Nothing would happen to Abby, not if he could help it.

When he pulled his gun from the holster on his hip in the hallway just before he entered her lab, he remembered rushing to protect her when Ari had taken a shot in through the window, attempting to kill Abby after already killing Kate.

He rushed in just as Abby put the straw to her lips, but before he could open his mouth to stop her, he saw Fornell sitting at her desk. _Fornell_. Fornell had bought her a Caf-Pow!.

"Gibbs?" Abby turned to look at him, her eyes going wide at the sight of the gun in his hand. Abandoning her drink, Abby rushed forward, pressing herself against Gibbs for safety. "Oh my God, what's wrong?!"

Fornell jumped to his feet and grabbed for his own gun.

"Nothing is wrong." Gibbs pressed a reassuring kiss to the top of Abby's head. "Chelsea just said that some guy had bought you a drink and I didn't think that _he_ had come to pick you up yet. I just thought-"

"Jesus, you scared us." Fornell put his gun away and sat back down. "Abby wasn't sure when she would be done, so I thought I would stop in to see how things were going. I thought I would bring a Caf-Pow! with me, I know how much she likes them."

Abby snuggled into Gibbs' arms and let out a sigh of relief. "You ran in here with your gun drawn and scared me, but thanks. Thanks for worrying about me." Abby looked up at him before pressing her face to his chest again with a heavy sigh.

"I… I gotta get back to work. Why don't you head out for tonight?" Gibbs couldn't bring himself to say 'home' when referring to Abby heading to Fornell's house.

"Yeah, yeah that's good idea. I don't think I could focus anymore this evening." Abby moved away from Gibbs to gather her belongings. She looked at the Caf-Pow! but rather than bring it along she tossed it in the garbage. When it had appeared by her keyboard she had nearly turned to wrap its deliverer in a tight hug. She was glad she'd been too busy to follow through when she realized it was Fornell that had brought it in for her. She waited for Fornell to dig his keys from his pocket and then start to the elevator before following behind. "Night Gibbs. Thanks again."

"Night Abby. Tobias."

---

"A little overprotective, don't you think?"

"Tobias! How could you say that?" Abby glared at him from her spot on the passenger side of his car. "He was worried about me. No one buys me a Caf-Pow! but Gibbs, except maybe one of the team if he is busy, so I don't blame him for thinking the worst. In case you've forgotten, someone wants to kill _me_ because _you _couldn't do your job."

Fornell pulled his hands off the steering wheel just quickly enough to show defeat. "Alright, alright. I just thought it was a bit much to come charging in with his gun drawn, that's all." His voice softened. "And I know, I'm sorry for getting you involved in this."

"It's okay. I know. I know you didn't mean to drag me in to all this and I know you tried your hardest to save that woman, I just…" Abby thought a moment. "Gibbs worries. You know how he is."

"Yeah, I know."

They rode the rest of the way home in silence. Abby was tired and stressed from her long and busy day at work, and the drama of Gibbs rushing in to rescue her had drained her completely. Once home, they sat and had dinner, Chinese takeout they picked up on the way home, with Russ Terry. Abby didn't feel very social, so as soon as she was finished with dinner she excused herself and headed upstairs.

Crawling into bed after a long hot bath, Abby felt relaxed as she sank into the soft mattress and reached for her phone. She hadn't called right away because she knew he'd likely have stayed longer at the office and she didn't want to interrupt anything if they were still working.

"Hey Abbs… I was starting to think you weren't going to call. You haven't called the last few nights." Gibbs teased. He knew she'd likely still be riled up from earlier. He had slapped the back of his own head once she'd left her lab; he couldn't believe he'd let himself scare her like that.

"Gibbs, phones work two, ways you know, _you could have called me_."

He had to smile at the amusement in her voice. "I thought maybe you had fallen asleep."

"Asleep? It's just now ten. But you can wake me up, Gibbs, anytime."

"I'm sorry I scared you earlier, it's just…" Gibbs tried to think of how to explain.

"It's okay. I'm glad you care." Abby closed her eyes and smiled. "You're always coming to my rescue."

"I don't think you need rescuing from Tobias."

"No, maybe not, but I still appreciate it. I appreciate you." They were both silent for a moment, thinking of what she might have meant by that. Sensing that the silence was dragging on, Abby spoke again. "I guess I'm going to a formal that the FBI is hosting to benefit some community outreach program or something."

"Looking forward to it?" Gibbs tried to relax his jaw so he didn't sound as if he was asking through gritted teeth.

"Actually, if I wasn't a possible target, I guess it could be kind of fun. Can I borrow Ziva on Sunday?"

"Ziva?"

"I need a dress, and Tobias has budget meetings this weekend. Plus, I'd rather go shopping with someone who knows what to look for when looking for a dress."

"We aren't on duty this weekend. You should ask her tomorrow at work." Gibbs tried to push the thoughts of Abby dressed up out of his mind. He saw her dressed up once a year when they went somewhere nice for dinner the evening before her birthday. He always had to remind himself to breathe when he picked her up.

They chatted on for a while until Abby started to struggle to remain awake.

"Abbs?"

"Hmmm…?" She sounded drowsy.

"Go to sleep."

Abby was half asleep. "Mm hmm, ok. I miss you Gibbs."

"You saw me four hours ago."

"Mm hmm."

"Night Abby." Gibbs heard her phone click shut, so he hung up and set his phone back on the work bench so he could return to his boat. He took out his frustration on the boat, pressing hard against the sandpaper as he smoothed away the splinters in the wood. It was all he could do not to toss the sandpaper aside, drive across town and rescue her from the trap of playing Tobias Fornell's significant other.

---

Friday was the complete opposite compared to Thursday. Gibbs' team didn't catch a single case and by three in the afternoon, the agents were restless from having spent the entire day at their desks. It was getting windy outside, and the weather forecast had promised severe winds with gusts hitting up near 70mph. With a sigh, Gibbs let his team head home early to get the weekend started. Ziva had agreed to pick Abby up just before lunch time on Sunday so that they could grab a bite to eat before hitting the mall in search of a dress. Gibbs was relieved that Ziva would be on protection duty rather than Fornell.

Abby appeared shortly after the agents had left. With nothing to do and Fornell not scheduled to pick her up until five, she had some time to kill. Abby settled into Tony's chair and looked over the various toys he kept in and around his desk. Gibbs was still bent over the report he'd been working on all day, and although she knew he was aware of her presence, she didn't want to disrupt him. She just liked being near him.

Gibbs watched her from the corner of his eye. She sat at Tony's desk, her legs drawn up as she swiveled side to side, reaching out to touch the various trinkets. He finished the page he was on and removed his glasses with a sigh. "Whatcha doing, Abby?"

"Just hanging out."

"You could probably get Fornell to come pick you up early."

"I know."

"Did you call him?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because I like hanging out up here with you."

Gibbs gave her a little smile. "Oh."

Abby grinned back at him and resumed her silent exploration of Tony's desk when Gibbs put his glasses back on and returned his attention to the paper in front of him.

Abby startled slightly when the lights flickered due to the increasing wind speed outside. "Looks like it's going to be one windy night. Keep your phone handy."

Gibbs smiled inwardly. He had envisioned a few extra phone calls from Abby - the pretext for the call would likely be something like, she was concerned about him not having proper supplies should the power go out - but he liked to think that he kept her calm in a storm. Gibbs was about to answer, but the elevator dinging interrupted him and Fornell stepped out.

"It's getting pretty windy; I thought we could head home a little early." Fornell nodded at Gibbs but faced Abby as he spoke.

"Sure. You've got candles? And a battery-operated light? What about the agents across the street, do they have the proper supplies?"

"We're all set should the power go out."

"Ah, okay. Well, night Gibbs. Don't stay here too much longer. You have enough supplies in case the power goes out? Maybe you could hangout with us."

"I don't need power to work on my boat, Abbs."

"He probably wouldn't even notice if the power did go out." Fornell smirked, but quickly frowned when Abby's fist connected with his shoulder. "Hey, what was that for?"

"Be nice! Apologize."

"What?"

"I said," Abby moved both her hands to her hips, "apologize. Gibbs' boat is very important to him. It's not like _you have a hobby, Tobias._"

Fornell looked at Gibbs and then back to Abby.

"Well..?"

"Well, what?"

"APOLOGIZE."

Fornell rolled his eyes and looked back over his shoulder at Gibbs. "I'm sorry?"

"That wasn't a real apology, but it'll do for now." Abby shook her head as she headed for the elevator. "Night Gibbs, talk to you later."

---

The power went out just after they finished dinner. Abby set to work lighting candles around the living room while Fornell went in search of a deck of cards, but was only able to locate Monopoly. Abby loved it when the power went out, claiming that there was nothing better than candles and a board game. They played Monopoly for nearly four hours before Abby decided it was time for bed. Claiming victory, she left the guys to clean up. She wanted to call Gibbs, but had a hard time keeping her eyes open. She reached for her phone as she snuggled under the covers but with one final yawn, Abby fell asleep, her phone gripped tightly in her hand.

----

TBC…


	8. Chapter 8

The electricity was back on by the time Abby woke up, the smell of pancakes drifting upstairs. Abby showered, dressed and headed downstairs to find Donny flipping pancakes while frying bacon. "You made breakfast?"

"Yep. I hope you're hungry!"

"If it tastes as good as it smells, I'm starving!"

"You're in luck. My grandma ran a breakfast place in Montana; I spent my summers working for her."

"Can't wait." Abby was about to pour two glasses of orange juice when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it." Abby rounded the corner, headed for the front door and opened it. "Hello?"

"Hi, I'm Jason and I'm with Direct Cable and Internet. We're making rounds to check that everything is in working order. May I come in and take a look at the internet and cable plug-ins?"

"I think-"

Abby was cut off when Donny rounded the corner and stepped up behind her. "What's going on?"

"Something about the internet and cable after last night's storm, but I think everything is good. Cable works, but have you checked the net?"

"Yeah, everything is in working order." Donny eyed the man at the door.

"Oh, well I was just hoping to take a look and make sure there isn't a risk of shortage or anything. With the way things are these days, we like to check everything over so as to avoid any trouble later on."

Abby looked at Donny over her shoulder. She could easily look over the internet connection, but she didn't know as much about the cable. "I'll keep an eye on breakfast if you want to show him the cable hookups in the living room and in Tobias' room."

"Sure." Donny moved so Abby could go back to the kitchen and then brought Jason to the living room and then to Fornell's bedroom. He only took a few minutes in each spot as Donny waited in the doorway. When he was finished, he escorted Jason back to the front door. They shook hands and Donny shut and locked the door behind him.

---

Vincent wasn't sure how he was going to get to Ms. Sciuto, but when the wind storm blew through the area it gave him an idea. Getting his hands on the supplies he needed proved to be a tad difficult, but it worked out fine in the end.

He watched the house from the spot he parked down the street until he saw Fornell get in his car and drive away. He moved his van down the block one house at time, taking his time to note any movement he saw.

He smiled politely when Abby opened the door after he rang the doorbell. "Hi, I'm Jason and I'm with Direct Cable and Internet. We're making rounds to check that everything is in working order. May I come in and take a look at the internet and cable plug-ins?"

He couldn't deny Abby's good looks as he watched her think of an answer. "I think-"

Vincent struggled to hold a pleasant expression on his face when he saw an unfamiliar man step up behind Abby. He had seen Fornell leave an hour or two before, but hadn't seen anyone else arrive. Donny let him in, but stayed close as he pretended to fiddle with the cable hookups. He hadn't been sure if he had planned to do anything with Abby that day, or just leave a warning for Agent Fornell; he had waited a few more weeks between killing his last two victims, but one thing was sure – he wanted to scare Fornell. He'd written up a little note and while Donny paced in the hallway outside Fornell's room, he was able to tape the note to the front of the flat screen TV.

"All done." He stepped outside and followed Donny back to the front door. "Feel free to give us a call if you have any questions." He heard Donny lock the door behind him.

Vincent drove for a mile before pulling into a parking lot, switching into a plain shirt, and hopping onto the first bus that drove past.

---

The phone rang less than two minutes after Donny shut the door. "Who was that?"

Donny recognized the agents across the street. "Someone with the internet and cable company checking on things after last night's storm."

"Everything okay over there?"

"Yep, we're good." Donny hung up and went to find Abby in the kitchen. "Everything ready?"

"Yeah." Abby was just setting two plates on the table. "What'd he do?"

"I don't know." Donny shrugged. "I don't know all that much about internet and cable stuff."

"Maybe I'll just take a look." Abby left her plate on the table and went to the living room. She looked over the cable connection but noted nothing out of the ordinary. She switched the TV on and then off again when it worked just fine. She felt weird going into Tobias' room, but went in anyway. She looked behind the dresser that the TV sat on and again, nothing out of the ordinary. When she turned the TV on, she noticed the paper taped to the screen. She wasn't sure if she should open it - it could be something that Tobias had put there to remember, but curiosity had gotten the best of her, and Abby un-folded the paper.

_Agent Fornell – Your girlfriend, she's cute. Just wanted to let you know I haven't forgotten about you. We'll talk soon, I'm sure._

Abby took the stairs two at a time, the note held tightly in her hand. "Oh my God, Oh my God, _Oh my God! _It was him!" She was trembling as she laid the note out in front of Donny.

Donny read the note over and sprung up from his chair, first calling the agents across the street and then dialing Fornell.

Abby raced up to her room, grabbed her cell phone and ducked into the closet, pulling the doors shut behind her; her fingers shook as she dialed Gibbs' number.

"_Yeah, Gibbs."_

"Gibbs!" Abby swallowed against the lump in her throat. "He was here, Gibbs! The guy that was after me, he was here."

"_Fuck!"_ Abby could hear the sound of Gibbs' footsteps up racing up his basement steps. _"Are you okay? Did he hurt you, Abby? I'm on my way."_

"I'm alright, I'm not hurt."

"_Stay there, okay? Stay on the line, I'll be right there. I'm on my way."_

"Just hurry. Hurry, please." Abby whispered into the phone. Her phone slipped from her sweaty hand and the phone disconnected. The closet was dark and she couldn't see where it landed, but the idea of opening the closet door to gain a little light wasn't worth giving up the security that the dark provided.

"Grow up Abigail, there is nothing to hide from. He isn't in the house anymore, you know that. You even got a fairly decent look at the guy and could probably pull together a sketch with Jody the sketch artist at NCIS. Jody is nice," Abby rambled quietly to herself as she wrapped her arms around her legs and drew her knees up to her chest.

---

Gibbs knew there was something wrong from the moment Abby first said his name. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end when she explained that Vincent had been in the house. Gibbs ran up the stairs, grabbed his gun and keys, and was in the car peeling out of the driveway before Abby had finished explaining. "Stay there, okay? Stay on the line, I'll be right there. I'm on my way."

His mind nearly exploded as she begged him to hurry. He told her that he was going as fast as he could and then tossed his phone over to the passenger seat when he realized he was talking to the dial tone. He believed her when she said she was okay, but the fact that she hung up when he told her not to made him press his foot on the accelerator.

Two agents were standing out in front of Tobias' house when Gibbs' car came to a screeching halt. He flashed his badge and headed inside. Fornell hadn't arrived yet, and Donny was busy talking with one of the agents from across the street. "Abby!"

Donny shrugged. "She was here, but I think she disappeared upstairs. She hasn't come back down."

Gibbs rushed upstairs and paused outside of Emily's room. He used the knuckle of his index finger to knock softly before opening the door. The room was empty, but he heard a soft mumble coming from the closet. "Abby?"

He stepped closer when the babbling stopped. "Abby, it's me. I'm going to open the door now, okay?" Gibbs opened the door a few inches. "Abby?"

"Gibbs?"

Gibbs opened the door further, letting the light illuminate the closet, showing Abby curled up next to a box. He watched as she blinked a few times against the light and then reached a hand out so Gibbs could help her up. Gibbs took her hand, but rather than pull her up he stepped inside the closet and sat beside her, pulling the door closed as he sat.

Abby fumbled around in the dark until she found his arm and wiggled her way underneath. With Gibbs' arm wrapped firmly around her shoulders, Abby leaned into him and released a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding in.

Holding her tightly, Gibbs pressed a kiss to the top of her head. He didn't want to say anything until he was sure she was ready to talk, so until she was ready, he let his chin rest on her head and held her as close as he could.

"He came for me, Gibbs. He could've killed me."

This is why Gibbs had been against the idea from the very beginning; he couldn't be there around the clock to keep her safe. And now, more than ever, he didn't trust the people Tobias had hired. "He won't get you Abby. I won't let him, and…" Gibbs hesitated a moment before continuing. He didn't want to say it, but he knew Abby needed to hear it. "Tobias won't let him hurt you either."

"I saw him. I talked to him. There was nothing stopping him from pulling out a gun and shooting me."

"I'm here now."Gibbs didn't know what to say, so he kissed the top of her head again. "You're safe."

"I know."

They sat a few minutes longer until Abby was ready to leave the security of the dark closet. She got to her feet first and then pulled Gibbs up. They headed downstairs, Abby gripping Gibbs' hand tightly as they heard Donny explaining what had happened to Fornell.

Fornell heard them coming down the stairs and stepped away from Donny, coming to a halt in front of Abby. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so."

Gibbs stepped in between Abby and Fornell. "This stops. Now."

Abby rolled her eyes and move around them to stand by Donny.

"Excuse me?" Fornell rocked back on his heels.

"You heard me. It ends, right now."

"It can't! This guy is going to make a move, and now that both Abby and Donny have seen him, we can get a sketch and ask around. He's made his first move, we can get prints off the note he left. Abby is safe, Donny was here the whole time."

"What was stopping him from pulling out a gun and taking them both out? Nothing! Tobias, this guy walked in here like it was no big deal! You promised to keep her safe, and if you can't do that, she's done."

"Then she's done? That's it, like you make her decisions for her?"

Abby shook her head and looked over at Donny. "This will quickly get out of hand."

Donny kept his eyes on the two men. "You gonna stop it?"

"Nope. You?"

"No."

Abby turned to see Gibbs advance on Fornell, poking his index finger against Fornell's chest. "This ends today. You find him today. She's not staying here tonight."

"Jethro, you need to step outside and cool off before this goes too far."

Gibbs stayed where he was, inches from Fornell. "_Too far?_ She could've died today! You plan on waiting until this scum bag gets her before you realize you've taken it too far?!"

"Oh come on Jethro. You're enjoying this aren't you? Getting to play hero for-" Fornell didn't get the chance to finish. Gibbs' fist flew, and although Fornell saw it coming, Gibbs was quick and caught him in the jaw. Fornell was quick with the return, his blow glancing off Gibbs' cheek bone.

Abby had been willing to let them duke it out verbally, but as it turned physical, she wasn't about to stand by and let two friends hurt each other. She moved to intervene but caught one of their elbows in the stomach and was knocked to the ground with a thud. "Ow! _Hey!_"

Both men froze as Abby shouted and she ignored both their offers to help her to her feet. "You!" Abby poked her finger against Fornell's chest. "Sit." She pointed to the dining room table, indicating that he should pull out a chair and sit. "_And_ _you,_" Abby turned to poke Gibbs. "You go sit in the living room. Now."

Both men were silent as they did as they were told. Abby went to the kitchen and grabbed two icepacks. She tossed one to Donny and nodded toward Fornell. "Sit here with him and put that on his face. Gibbs hits pretty hard, he'll need it. Stay out here."

With Donny tending to Fornell and his split lip, Abby brought an icepack out to where Gibbs sat on the couch. Although his back was toward her, Abby could tell that he was looking at all the candles spread around the room from the night before. "Russ, Tobias and I played Monopoly while the power was out. The candles are from last night."

"I know." Gibbs mumbled. He wasn't about to admit that a romantic evening between Fornell and Abby had been the first thought to come to mind.

Abby stepped around the couch to sit next to him. "Look at me." Gibbs turned slightly to look at Abby and let her press the icepack to his cheekbone. "Do I have to tell you that was unnecessary?"

"No."

"Good."

"I wasn't kidding, though; I don't want you staying here tonight with this guy still on the run."

"I'm supposed to go shopping with Ziva tomorrow. I could stay at her place. You trust her, don't you?"

Gibbs smiled. "Yeah, I trust her a lot more than I trust these goons, though I'll call DiNozzo and have him spend the night." Gibbs rolled his eyes at the look on her face. "On the couch."

"You could come over?" Abby suggested and asked at the same time.

"I would, but I've got some things to take care of." Abby knew better than to ask what he would be doing. She was sure it involved joining in on the hunt for Vincent Kain. "Why don't you give Ziva a call and ask her to pick you up?"

"Alright." Abby took the icepack off his cheek and, satisfied that there wouldn't be much of a bruise, if any, leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Thanks Gibbs."

Gibbs wasn't sure what the kiss was for, but he'd take it.

----

TBC…


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks for all the awesome feedback, you guys have been great!

---

Tony and Ziva arrived to find Gibbs and Fornell sitting across from each other at the table, their shoulders squared. Abby was pacing in the kitchen and there were four other agents and a local cop sitting at the table.

"We got a case, boss? Should we call McGee?"

"Tony!" Abby launched herself into Tony's arms and clung to him tightly.

"Take her to Ziva's apartment. I want you two to keep an eye on her tonight and tomorrow." Gibbs pushed away from the table and stepped up to his agents. He stroked Abby's hair softly as he explained what had happened.

Tony was glad to have his arms full of Abby – the idea of her being in danger over someone else's mistake gave Tony the urge to slam Fornell against the wall, though judging from his split lip, Tony guessed that Gibbs had already taken that route. "We'll watch out for her boss. No one gets past us."

"I know. I'll be in touch." Gibbs watched as they escorted Abby out to the car, but was interrupted by Liam, the local policeman that had been called in.

"I just got off the phone with dispatch. A cable repair guy was accosted a few miles from here. He said the man stole his shirt and van and then told him to wait 30 minutes before moving from the parking lot. He said that the man claimed there was a sniper watching him and if he moved, he'd be shot. Poor guy nearly crapped his pants."

"Bring him in to FBI headquarters; I'd like to talk to him." Fornell stood and pulled his keys from his pocket as he passed Gibbs.

"This isn't over." Gibbs growled, referring to their earlier argument.

"It never is with you, is it Jethro?"

---

Abby sighed, "Guys, I've got a problem."

"We know, Abbs. But you're safe with us. We won't let anyone get you. You've got _NCIS_ behind you now, not the FBI." Tony followed Ziva and Abby up the stairs to Ziva's apartment.

"It's not that. I've got a bigger problem."

"What's wrong?" Ziva unlocked her door and let both Abby and Tony step inside before she shut it and flipped the deadbolt.

"Gibbs."

"You know how he gets. He just has a hard time sharing with Fornell and the FBI. Combine that with how much he worries about you? He's bound to be a bear." Tony set Abby's bag beside the couch and flopped down with a sigh.

"Yeah, I guess."

Ziva watched as Abby struggled for a response. "You know Abby, I could use some help preparing the guest bed. Could you help me?"

"Sure." Abby followed Ziva down the hall and into the guest room, but stopped in the doorway when she saw the bed was already made.

"I thought that maybe you would rather talk away from Tony. He can be a bit…" Ziva thought for a moment. "Well, he can be many things, but childish comes to mind."

Abby shrugged. "I don't know - this whole undercover situation, living with Fornell, it's really opened my eyes to a few things."

"Like what?"

"I don't know."

"Abby, what's bothering you?"

"It's nothing, really. I think it's just the stress of this morning. I just… I'm just really stressed, that's all. Tony is probably wondering what's taking so long." Abby turned and headed back to the living room.

---

The next morning, Gibbs called to check in; there had been no sightings and no further threats. With reluctance, Gibbs gave them the go-ahead to go to the mall so that Abby could get a dress. Fornell had agreed to up security around the home in order to get Gibbs to back down about calling off the whole thing and putting Abby somewhere safe, far away from DC.

Ziva strapped her second gun to her ankle and then waited as Abby pulled her jacket on before they headed out to the car. It was a short drive to the mall, and by the time they got there, Abby had mostly been able to put the drama from the previous day behind her and was looking forward to shopping on someone else's dime.

They started off searching the bigger department stores, but Abby wrinkled her nose at everything they looked at.

Too long.

Too pink.

Too slutty.

Too floral.

They moved on to a smaller dress boutique - the small size of the shop and the single entry from the mall put Ziva at ease and she was able to focus a little more on dresses and a little less on the potential for a threat against Abby.

Abby and Ziva politely refused help from the sales woman, opting to search through the dresses on their own. With an arm full of dresses, Abby stepped into the dressing room leaving Ziva on guard right outside. The first dress she tried was a simple black strapless dress. She looked herself up and down in the mirror before stepping out to show Ziva.

"It's so boring."

"It looks nice, but it does not seem like something you would wear."

Abby tried dress after dress, showing Ziva half of them and vetoing the other half before they were even fully zipped.

"This one looks like I'm wearing a garbage bag tied with a bow!"

"Excuse me?" The sales woman stepped up behind Abby and Ziva as Abby stood in the hallway looking herself over in the mirror. "I couldn't help but notice you seem to be struggling to find a dress. We just got this one in and maybe you'd like to try it?"

Abby looked at the garment bag and shrugged. "Sure."

The sales woman hung the bag on a hook jutting out from the wall and unzipped it. Abby gave a slight gasp when the sales woman pulled out the 1950's inspired 'New Look' dress. She admired the pinched waist and the slight scoop of the neck line. Abby took the dress from the woman and disappeared into the dressing room. The way the black lace was so bold against her fair skin, the way the layers of tulle petticoats made the skirt so full and swish around her calves… "I love it!"

Ziva waited for Abby to step back out and smiled widely at her friend. "You look beautiful. This is the dress, yes?"

"Yes." Abby spun in a slow circle. "This is the dress."

Abby checked her reflection in the mirror again and smiled. "I can't wait for him to see it, it'll make his jaw drop."

"Although he is a man, I do not think Fornell appreciates the finer things in life, like a beautiful dress."

_I meant Gibbs_, Abby wanted to answer. "You're right. Tony will appreciate it though. I'll show him."

Ziva laughed. "Tony will certainly appreciate you in a dress."

----

With the dress picked out, the two women headed to a nearby café for lunch. It took a little persuasion, but after agreeing to sit in the back corner, away from the window, where Ziva could keep an eye out for potential trouble Ziva finally agreed to lunch.

"So Abby, yesterday, you wanted to say something, but you stopped yourself. Why?"

"It was nothing Ziva, really."

"It did not feel like nothing."

"This whole situation has had me thinking, that's all. I guess, when a person's life is in danger they tend to start thinking about all the little things in life and what they mean. It was nothing serious, I promise."

"Abby."

"Alright," Abby took a long sip of her ice water before continuing. "Okay, so you know how you can be friends with someone and then suddenly see them as maybe something more? But you don't really want to do anything about it because you don't want to ruin the friendship, especially since you work so closely with them."

"Ah," Ziva gave an understanding nod. She figured it would be hard to work with someone so closely, living with them and pretending to be their girlfriend, and not start to feel a little something. "It is understandable."

"But Ziva, you can't say anything to him, or to anyone else! He's so stressed already, I don't want him to think he has to worry about my feelings, too."

"My lips are secured."

"Sealed."

"Yes, that too. But if you want to talk about it, I am here for you. It must be difficult living with Fornell and then realizing you are falling in love with him."

"Yeah…"

----

TBC…


	10. Chapter 10

This is the inspiration for Abby's dress… you just gotta fix the link where I've put (dot) instead of .

www(dot)flickr(dot)com/photos/ladykat81/2475473776/

_-----_

"_Yes, that too. But if you want to talk about it, I am here for you. It must be difficult living with Fornell and then realizing you are falling in love with him."_

"Yeah… wait _WHAT_?"

"I am here for you if you want to-"

"You think I meant _Fornell_?" Abby slapped her hand down on the table top and laughed.

"But you said-" Ziva thought for a moment. "But if it isn't Fornell, then… oh."

"Yeah. _Oh_."

---

In some ways Abby was glad to be going back to Fornell's house. She wasn't sure how he managed to convince Gibbs that she would be safe there, but she felt most comfortable following routine, and living with Fornell was a routine she was used to.

Fornell met her at the door. "How are you?" The concern was evident in his voice and Abby almost felt bad about his busted lip. Once things had settled down the day before, Tony enjoyed the story of how Gibbs had punched Fornell, making Abby tell it again and again.

"I'm okay." Abby stepped inside and dropped her bag by the door and then held up the garment bag. "I found my dress for the party. Hi Russ." Abby waved at the agent.

"Oh? Do I get to see it?"

"If you want? It isn't a wedding dress, so it isn't bad luck if you want to see it." Abby unzipped the bag. "It's a really cool vintage-inspired dress; black, of course, but no spikes or chains or other FBI-unapproved decorations."

Fornell couldn't help but laugh. He had to admit, when he first met her, he had been more than wary, unsure if she was truly sane, but the better he got to know her, and the more he heard from Jethro, he grew to realize she was smarter than most. "It's nice, but what did this dress set me back?"

"Only $150."

"Only?"

"I thought about a designer dress to make me feel better about nearly being killed, but then I changed my mind."

"Thank you." Fornell watched as she tucked the dress safely back in the bag and then started for the stairs. "Wait, Abby?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you come and sit at the table with me? There are a few things I need to tell you about."

"Uh sure, I just want to hang this upstairs so it doesn't wrinkle." Abby hurried up the stairs and hung the dress on the back of the door. She dropped her bag at the end of her bed and then returned down to the kitchen where both Russ and Tobias were waiting.

Abby sat down across from them. "Why do I feel like I'm about to get in trouble?"

"You aren't in trouble, Abby. Things just need to change bit around here, that's all." Tobias explained. "For starters, you need to stay home for a bit. The FBI has agreed to supply NCIS with a substitute forensic specialist."

"Wait, what?! I can't go to work?"

"No."

"So I have to stay here all day?"

"Not all day. We can go out after I get home, but we'll plan ahead and have the place checked out and have a few undercover agents around as well."

"What am I supposed to do all day?"

"I'm sure you've got reading to catch up on, or you could watch movies, or…"

"This was Gibbs' idea, wasn't it?" Abby paced back and forth, worrying her lower lip. "I can't believe-"

"Not completely. Abby sit down." Fornell tried to talk her into staying, but he knew it was a lost cause as Abby marched back up the steps and slammed her bedroom door shut like an angry adolescent. Fornell turned to Russ, "I can't wait until Emily reaches her teenage years."

---

"_Yeah, Gibbs." _

"Gibbs!" Abby shrieked into the phone. "Why are you forcing me to stay here like a prisoner?"

He had been expecting her call_. "Calm down, Abbs. You aren't a prisoner. We're just going to be extra busy here the next week and I don't feel like I can keep an eye on you. There are so many people coming and going here, I just don't trust security."_

"But I'll be a _pris-on-er_."

"_It's only a week, and then we'll take it from there. You'll be fine Abby, you're always talking about all the reading you need to catch up on."_

"Can't I sit in the squad room with you and the team?"

"_No Abby."_ His voice was firm but soft. "_Please._"

"I'll talk to you later." Abby flipped her phone shut to cut off the call. She knew it was rude and childish, but out of everyone, Gibbs was the one person that knew how much her work meant to her. She was as much a workaholic as he was, and a week with nothing to do while her friends worked was cruel punishment.

Abby glanced at her alarm clock - it was just past seven p.m. She wasn't tired, but she had no desire to go back downstairs to talk to Fornell and Russ. Instead, she dug her iPod out of her purse and let the sound of Android Lust lull her to sleep.

---

Abby woke with a start Monday morning. The sun was shining through the window and for a brief moment she thought she had accidentally slept through her alarm. _Shit…_

When she remembered that she wasn't headed to work, she lay back and took a deep breath. _This is going to be a long day._

She brought her clothes across the hall and took a quick shower before heading down the stairs to see what Donny was up to. He had made breakfast again; there was a plate waiting for her in the oven, and he hovered over her as she settled at the dining table to eat.

"Abby, I'm really sorry. I'm an agent, I should've known better than to let someone in the house like that. I never should've let you open the door."

"It's okay. I opened the door. It was my fault."

"But still, I'm sorry."

"Me too, Donny. Me too." Abby finished her breakfast and then moved to the living room to watch TV with Donny.

"Really? Oprah?"

"Yeah. The guys at the office make fun of me for watching, but I bet I know more about social behavior and stuff compared to them."

"You're learning about social behavior by watching Oprah?" Abby tried to suppress a laugh. "I see." She watched a while longer, but as soon as a second episode was about to start, Abby excused herself to watch a movie upstairs on her laptop.

She heard the familiar sound of Fornell's car as he pulled up outside later that evening, but rather than go down to meet him, she stayed in her room. She kept quiet until she heard a soft tap on the door. "Come in."

Fornell pushed the door open and leaned against it. "Hey."

"Hey."

"Long day?"

Abby shot Fornell a look. "What do you think?"

"Abby, this isn't a punishment; it's to keep you safe."

"Who are you? Gibbs? What do you care? I would be perfectly safe at NCIS."

"Jethro cares about you, we all do. He's busy this week, and we just feel that it's for the best that you stay home. Once they finish up their latest case and things calm down, or once we have Vincent in custody, you can go back."

Abby gave an irritated sigh.

"But anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to grab a bite to eat?"

"Not tonight. I'm not really hungry."

"Alright." Fornell pulled the door closed behind him as he left, and Abby rolled over to start a new movie on her laptop.

---

Monday went by in a blur for Gibbs. They had an open case, a string of murders involving several naval officers that kept them on the go well into the evening. It wasn't until he had arrived home shortly after mid-night that he had realized he hadn't spoken to Abby. He debated calling her, but wasn't sure if she was still angry or not, and while he could usually deal with an upset Abby face-to-face, but over the phone was so impersonal.

He worked on his boat awhile, giving Abby the chance to call, before he climbed the stairs to bed.

---

Tuesday at NCIS was just as busy as Monday. Tony, Ziva and McGee kept their mouths shut when Gibbs barked orders. They were well aware that although the case was stressful, with the bodies stacking up in autopsy, the real issue was that Abby wasn't bouncing around in her lab offering a brief reprieve from the case.

---

Tobias left work early on Tuesday, deciding that another evening bowling with Sister Rosita and friends was just what Abby needed. He found Abby and Russ in the living room watching reruns of Oprah, and laughed at the look of anguish Abby gave him. "You're home early."

"I thought you might enjoy an evening of bowling with the nuns."

"Really?" Abby was up off the couch and hugging Fornell in a flash. "I'll go get ready." Abby was upstairs in a flash and into her bowling outfit. She had written off the idea of bowling this week with all the extra security, but on the ride to the bowling alley, Fornell explained that several sets of agents would be there in plain clothes, bowling as a group of friends.

Abby rushed forward to hug sister Rosita. "Rosita!"

"Abigail, my dear, it's so good to see you. I see you've brought your boyfriend." Rosita smiled at Fornell. "Nice to see you again Tobias." Fornell nodded and then moved off to get bowling shoes and find a ball. "So how are you, Abby?"

"Honestly?"

Rosita raised an eyebrow.

"Miserable."

"He's treating you well?"

"Yeah, there has just been a lot of drama, that's all."

"You'll be fine sweetheart. The Lord will see you through your difficult times."

The other nuns waved them over, so Abby put on a happy face and made her way across the bowling alley. Abby pulled out her bowling ball and smiled sweetly at Fornell, "You ready to lose, Tobias?"

----

TBC…


	11. Chapter 11

On Wednesday Tobias took Abby to the National Museum of Natural History to a new exhibit examining bones from the 17th century, a forensic investigation of America's past. Abby pulled him in every direction to look at the exhibit and explain the bits that he didn't quite understand.

Thursday they decided on a tour of a local brewery and dinner afterward. Fornell realized that with Abby's mind occupied with all the new things they were doing, he found their relationship less strained, almost enjoyable. Unlike Monday, Abby wasn't sulking or hiding up in her room when he got home. She was dressed and waiting, and depending on whether they were eating before they left for the evening, she even cooked dinner one night.

Friday evening Fornell took Abby out for a nice dinner as a change of pace from the past few days. They ended up at a small Italian restaurant, a place Fornell frequented often. They were seated towards the back, in a booth against the wall. Now that they had settled into a comfortable working relationship, their living arrangements were no longer a source of stress for them.

"So, tell me about your relationship with Jethro."

Abby looked taken aback. "My relationship? Come on now, Tobias."

"I don't mean to imply that something is going on, but it's no secret that you two are close. I know you've called him just about every night."

"Actually, I haven't talked to him at all this week." Abby tried not to blush. "But he's worried that I'm in danger, and he's my best friend. I usually see him every day at work, and now I haven't seen him in almost a week. I haven't gone a week without seeing Gibbs since he left for Mexico." Abby frowned at the thought.

"I've spoken to him a few times myself, and you're right, he is worried. A little more worried than I would think he should be. It makes me want to ask him the same question."

"What question?" Abby smiled up at the waitress as she placed their dinners down in front of them.

"About your relationship."

"Tobias! You know he lives and dies by his rules. There is no 'relationship,' don't be silly."

"Rule 12. You aren't a fan?"

"I think rules are meant to be broken. I think they should be considered, but not concrete, you know?"

"To prevent random flings, but yet not hinder a true romance."

"Something like that. Why are you asking me this?"

"I'm just curious."

Abby reached out and swatted at him with her cloth napkin in a playful gesture. "Well take your curiosity elsewhere."

Fornell held up his hands to protect his face and then changed the subject.

----

Surprisingly, Gibbs found himself offering to pick up dinner on Friday night for his team. They had been forced to stay late in hopes of finding that one little piece of concrete evidence to convict their suspect in the string of murders they had spent the past week working on. If they could swing an arrest, they could hand over the case and wouldn't have to spend the weekend in the office.

Rather than opt for delivery, Gibbs decided he could use the air and offered to pick up the Chinese food they ordered. He found that he had to park a few blocks away due to construction, and walk the rest of the way. He walked slowly down the sidewalk, his hands tucked in his pockets to protect against the cold evening air.

A quick movement caught his eye as he passed the window of a small restaurant. He almost didn't recognized Abby as she sat across from Fornell. She was dressed up, by her standards, wearing dark wash jeans and a nice blouse. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail rather than the typical pigtails or braids that she usually wore. He watched as she playfully swatted at Fornell with her napkin, laughing about something he had said. He watched as her face lit up when he said something after deflecting the napkin.

He was tempted to go in and say hi - he hadn't seen Abby since the drama of the previous weekend, and he didn't like that things were left on a sour note after their last call. He knew he should walk away, go get the Chinese food, go back to the Navy Yard and forget about it, but he just couldn't do it.

----

"We've got to slip up somewhere. Make this guy think that he can get me." Abby looked up from her dinner.

"We already have."

"Well, besides last weekend. We need to set a trap for him."

"I'm not talking about last weekend. I didn't want to say anything about it, but we've been leaving little hints about the charity dinner. We're hiring extra servers and we're hoping he'll sign up."

"But I know what he looks like."

"There are ways to change your looks." Tobias shrugged. "A wig and a little creative work with makeup and he could slip right past us."

"Is that why I'm not able to work with… _Gibbs!_"

"Gibbs?" Before Fornell could finish, Abby was out of the booth and had Gibbs in a tight hug.

"What are you doing here? Gibbs, I missed you! How did you know we were here? You should've said you'd be around, we could've had dinner together."

"Good to see you too, Abbs." It was all that Gibbs could manage through her tight hold. He gently pried her arms off his neck and held her back slightly.

Fornell leaned in a bit. "Abby, you've got to settle down a little. In case we're being watched."

Abby nodded and stepped back to stand next to Fornell. "Will you stay for a little while?"

"I can't, I'm picking up Chinese and then heading back to the Navy Yard. We're trying to wrap up our case, so the team is waiting. I just saw you through the window and thought I'd say hello. I'll talk to you soon. It was good to see you." Gibbs ran his thumb across her cheek, and then looked at Fornell. "Tobias." He turned and walked away.

Fornell directed Abby a few steps back toward their table and sat down to face her. "I know you would've liked to spend more time with him, but really, I'd hate to draw him into all this if we're being watched."

"I know." Abby nodded. "I just want this all to be over with."

Fornell noticed that Abby picked at the rest of her dinner. She made an attempt to continue their friendly chit-chat, but it was half-hearted. He filled her in on the details of the FBI formal, the people who were likely to attend, the menu, the location, but never managed to draw her attention fully back into the conversation.

---

"Jethro, what a pleasant surprise!" Sister Rosita greeted him warmly. "You look exhausted; can I get you a cup of coffee?"

Gibbs nodded and followed Rosita into her office. The team had worked well into Saturday morning before they managed to find the evidence they needed. Gibbs was able to catch a few hours of sleep but had too much going through his mind to rest completely, so that's why, at nine on Saturday morning he found himself drinking coffee with Rosita.

"What brings you in on this fine Saturday morning?"

"Abby said you mentioned that it's been awhile since I've been in. NCIS has been keeping me busy, but we just wrapped up a big case, so I had some free time."

"Ah," Rosita leaned back in her chair. "And it has nothing to do with Abby's involvement with Mr. Fornell?"

Gibbs frowned. "She told you about that?"

"We've had quite a bit of fun bowling together the past two weeks. He's a good man, takes care of her, and watches out for her. He's got to be something special if he puts up with all of us at bowling." Rosita watched Gibbs closely, noticing the way his jaw clenched and his hand tightened around his coffee mug. "Abby is playing a part, Jethro. Just like Shannon was when she was involved with the local theater. I seem to remember you jealous then, too."

Gibbs closed his eyes and remembered the first time he met Rosita.

--

_Shannon was part of the cast in the musical Sleeping Beauty at the local theater and the man cast as Prince Charming fully exploited the fact that they would kiss toward the end of the play. _

_Gibbs watched from the lighting booth during the final rehearsal and was nearly ready to put his fist through the wall, when a much younger Rosita walked in. She immediately reminded him of his mother, her comforting presence putting him at ease. "That Charlie, he thinks he's such a ladies' man, but from what I hear, all the women ignore him backstage."_

"_Charlie?"_

"_Yes, the man that plays Prince Charming." Rosita smiled at him warmly. "You're Shannon's husband, right?"_

"_I am."_

"_She's told me lots about you. It must be hard to watch another man kiss your wife, but it's just a part she's playing. Nothing more."_

"_I'm not jealous." Gibbs pouted._

"_I understand." Rosita patted his arm._

--

"Abby told you that she was undercover as his girlfriend?" He was surprised that Abby had said anything - very few people knew about her role.

"Well, no, I had to drag it out of her, and she wouldn't give me any other details. I must admit though, I thought it was quite obvious that she wasn't in love with him."

Gibbs tilted his head, wanting to ask why she thought it was so obvious that Abby wasn't in love with Fornell. He tried not to think back to the evening before when he ran into them while they were out having dinner. They looked pretty convincing to him.

"Jethro, you have no reason to be jealous." Rosita reached out and rested her hand on his arm. "It's been awhile since you've both been around here together, but she lights up whenever your name is mentioned."

Gibbs felt a slight flush rise on his cheeks but ignored it.

Rosita knew him well enough to know that she couldn't push him too hard or else he would stop listening. It had been the same after Shannon and Kelly died. She watched as his friends tried to force him into voicing his feelings and watched as he shut them out one by one. He had come to her, a year later and ended up spending an entire day talking about the two people he had loved most and how losing them had nearly pushed him over the edge. As with Shannon and Kelly, she would wait for him to come to her to talk about Abby. "I won't pester you about Abby, but I've seen you like this before. You might be a little riled up with this Abby and Tobias work situation, but there was still a little spark when I mentioned Abigail to you. Don't ignore it."

Gibbs handed back his empty coffee cup and stood to leave. When he reached the door, he turned back toward Rosita. "I'm not jealous."

"I understand." Rosita smiled. "And I never said you were, Jethro."

---

Gibbs lit two candles before he headed home. _I really miss you guys._

-----

TBC…


	12. Chapter 12

Abby spent much of Saturday going over details of the FBI charity event with Fornell and the other agents. She memorized the layout, where the armed agents would be located and the various exits in case of emergency. Though the hiring hadn't been completed for the extra servers, they had a profile on everyone working in the kitchen, and Abby looked over the information and memorized their faces. She needed to know who she didn't have to worry about. A person could change a lot with a little hair dye and makeup.

After dinner, Abby retreated up to her room and found that McGee was online.

**Abby:** Hi McGee!

**TMG:** Abby! How are you doing?

**Abby:** A little bored. I miss NCIS. Is my lab still standing?

**TMG:** Last I checked. Gibbs has had me hovering over the temp lab tech making sure she doesn't touch your stuff.

**Abby:** She was going to touch my stuff?!

**TMG:** No! No, Gibbs just wanted me to make sure she didn't. He doesn't want you to be upset about the state of your lab when you come back. When do you come back?

**Abby:** I dunno. I need to ask. Maybe Monday?

**TMG:** I hope so.

**Abby:** Aww… you miss me?

**TMG:** No, Gibbs is a bear without you around.

**Abby:** So you're saying you don't miss me?

**TMG:** Abby, of course I miss you! We all miss you. I didn't mean it like that. You know what I meant. It's just that Gibbs hates working with other lab techs. We all do, they don't work as fast as you. That's what I meant. You know what I mean, right?

**Abby:** I know what you mean, Timmy. I'm just playing with you. Anyway, I'm logging off again. Talk to you soon, okay?

**TMG:** Sounds good. Bye Abby!

**Abby:** Bye!!!!

Abby logged off and sat back with a smile. She had been a little worried about things between her and Gibbs with the way she had snapped at him over the phone. Their very brief and limited interaction at the restaurant the night before hadn't been enough to reassure her that everything between them would be okay.

She followed her usual bedtime routine and once she was tucked under the blankets, she reached for her phone. Sucking in a deep breath, she dialed Gibbs.

"_Yeah, Gibbs."_

"Hey Gibbs."

"_Abby."_ Gibbs waited a moment. _"You okay?"_

"I'm good, I just wanted to call…" Abby wasn't sure why she was calling. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"_I'm just working on the boat, you're not interrupting anything. You sure that you're okay?"_

"I'm fine."

"_Good."_

"It was good to see you last night. I wish you could have stayed. You guys solve the case?"

"_We did, around four this morning."_

"That's good." Abby hated the short and simple answers they gave each other. "Gibbs?"

"_Yeah?"_

"Are we okay?"

Gibbs sighed and stepped away from the boat to lean against the work bench. _"Why wouldn't we be?"_

"I don't know, but it just seems like… I don't know. I'm sorry I yelled at you over the phone the last time we talked. I know you just want to do what's best for me, but I just hated the idea of sitting around here for so long. God, I just want this all to be over."

"_I'm not mad at you Abby. I want it to be over too."_

"I miss work."

"_I know you do."_

Abby took a chance. "I miss _you_."

"_I miss you too, Abbs. You know, you didn't call at all last week."_

"I know. Tobias kept me busy each evening so that I wouldn't be so completely bored. I usually just came home and crashed at the end of the night."

"_So Tobias let you out on occasion? Glad to hear you weren't a complete prisoner."_

"You know Gibbs, phones work both ways. You could have called me, you know."

"_I didn't want to interrupt anything."_

Abby laughed. "I'm sure. Oh, Gibbs? Can I come back to work yet?"

"_I expect you in your lab Monday morning and you better not be late."_

Abby squealed. "Yes Sir!"

"_Good night Abby. I'll see you Monday."_

---

Abby managed to convince Fornell to don his Sunday best and accompany her to church on Sunday morning. He put up a good fight, but eventually Abby's persuasive green eyes won him over and he agreed.

Abby blinked against the harsh sunlight as they stepped out of the church and when her eyes were able to focus, a large smile spread across her face.

"Oh God." Fornell sighed at the man leaning against his car.

"Tony!" Abby was a blur across the parking lot and launched herself into DiNozzo's waiting arms.

"Hey Abby." Tony tightened his arms around her in a hug. "Agent Fornell."

"_DeNutso_."

Tony pressed a light kiss to the top of Abby's head before looking back at Fornell. "You know, your agent's are worthless, I asked where you guys were and they told me – no questions asked. I could've been a psycho-killer and they just gave out the information freely."

"You're on the contact list, of course they told you where we were." Fornell growled.

"Well, whatever. Anyway, I'm here to borrow Abby for a few hours. She's had time with Ziva, but I haven't seen her in forever, so c'mon Abby. I'm parked two cars down." Tony pointed her toward his car.

"I don't think so." Fornell reached out and grabbed hold of Abby's arm. "You need proper security."

"Relax Tobias, it's Tony. Except for Gibbs, I can't think of anyone I'd be safer with. I'll be fine."

Fornell frowned. He knew she was close with her team, but after everything, it hurt to think that she thought couldn't keep her just as safe. "I don't know…"

"I'll have her home by midnight." Tony turned and walked Abby back to his car. As he peeled out of the parking lot, he was fairly certain they weren't being followed, but on the drive back to his place, he was sure to take the long way home, and change lanes often. He'd picked up supplies the day before, so he was stocked with Chinese food, movies, a Caf-Pow! and a few other snack items.

Abby relaxed into the sofa as Tony locked and dead bolted his door. "Oh Tony, I'm so glad you showed up today. I've missed you!"

"Missed you too. Gibbs has been… unbearable the past week without you around. We've really noticed a difference, he's been awful."

"Oh Tony, I'm sure part of it has to do with your attitude."

"Me? Have an attitude? No…" Tony grinned. "But really, I don't think he was this miserable during his last divorce. Ow." Tony rubbed the spot where Abby punched him.

"That's not nice Tony. He's been stressed."

"I know. But he misses you. We all do."

Abby sighed. "I miss you all, it's been pretty boring living with Fornell. Well, I take that back. It's gotten better this past week, but the first week was _so _boring. You think Gibbs would have cared if I had snuck away to stay with him?"

"Are you kidding? There was a bet that he wouldn't last the week, we all expected him to come kidnap you and hide you away under his boat."

Abby smiled. She assumed living with Gibbs would've been much more fun; evenings in the basement with the boat, breakfast in the morning at the table, and if she was lucky she could curl up to him on the couch and watch TV before bed. "I'd have run away with him."

"I believe you."

As the credits rolled on their fourth movie, it suddenly dawned on Abby that it was approaching mid-night. "You should probably take me back to Fornell's house - it's getting late," she told him reluctantly.

---

Monday morning Abby was up before Fornell and sleepily greeted Jack as she made her way to the kitchen. As much as she missed NCIS, she knew she needed to get serious about the upcoming charity formal if they were going to catch this guy. She needed Vincent to believe her and Fornell as a couple. Since the incident a week ago, they had heard nothing from Vincent.

So far the applications that had come in for the available positions at the event had all checked out, but Abby felt it in her gut that he would be back. And this time, she would be ready.

As focused as she was on catching Vincent, Abby was thrilled about heading back to NCIS for the first time in a week. Abby looked up from her cereal when Donny let himself in for his shift of watching the house. Jack made a move to grab his jacket but Donny stopped him. "Wait. I've got bad news. Let me just get the boss down here so I don't have to repeat this." Donny held up an evidence bag containing a piece of paper.

Abby set her dish in the sink while Donny went in search of Fornell. They came down the steps a few moments later, with Fornell nearly finished dressing for the day, his tie hanging loosely around his neck.

"This was delivered to the FBI front desk. They called and asked me to pick it up and bring it over." Donny handed the evidence bag to Fornell.

Fornell grabbed the bag and read the note aloud. "I hope you'll enjoy seeing Abby in her dress as much as I will. The vintage style suits her. Tell her I'll see her soon. Signed V."

Abby shivered and let out a sigh when Fornell moved to put his arm around her. "We won't let him get you."

"I know." Abby took the letter and looked it over. "There has to be some sort of hint as to where he's hiding. I need to get this to a lab. Can I bring it to NCIS with me today?"

"Abby, I don't think going to NCIS is a good idea. I'd like to keep you nearby. I can set up security at the FBI. I'll get you full use of the lab there to run your tests."

"What about NCIS? What about Gibbs?"

"I'll handle him. Get your stuff."

---

Fornell hadn't expected Gibbs to burst into his office two hours later, but he wasn't surprised either. "What can I do for you, Jethro?"

Gibbs slammed his hands down and leaned over the desk to get in Fornell's face. "You know damn well why I'm here, Tobias."

Fornell leaned back in his chair - he didn't think Gibbs would jump over the desk and attack him, but a little distance between an angry Gibbs and himself wouldn't be a bad thing. "She's safe. The whole floor of our lab is locked down. Security is as tight as the White House."

"I want in."

"I'll take you down for a visit. I'm certain Abby would love to see you."

"No. The dinner on Friday."

"It's FBI only and the guest list is closed. Not to mention the fact that Abby won't be able to stay focused if you're around. She's got a part to play and with you there you know she won't be able to focus."

"She doesn't need to know I'm there."

"What are you saying?"

"I want to be in the building, keep an eye on everyone."

"It's not a good idea."

Gibbs pulled out the chair and sat opposite Fornell. "And why is that? You called me this morning to tell me about the second letter. This guy will be there and you know it. Abby needs all the protection she can get."

"I can't promise anything, but I'll see what I can do."

Gibbs nodded and hesitated a moment before getting up. His hand was on the doorknob when he turned back to Fornell. "I'll see you Friday." Both men knew that if Fornell didn't get him in, Gibbs would get in on his own.

-----

TBC…


	13. Chapter 13

I'm so glad people are enjoying this fic so far! I'm having an absolute blast writing it, and your reviews have been awesome. Thanks again!

----

"You should've seen the look on his face, McProbie." Tony was leaning over McGee's desk when Gibbs finally made it to NCIS after a quick visit to Fornell. "He looked like he was ready to rip my head off, but because Abby was there, he just ignored me and tried to slam the door in my face."

"What about Abby?"

Tony jumped up and rushed back to his desk. "Oh hey boss, you're running late. Not that you can't be late, you're the boss, but I was just… sorry boss."

Gibbs eyed Tony curiously at the mention of Abby. "DiNozzo, what about Abby?"

"Oh, right. Um, I sort of kidnapped her yesterday after church. I mean, Fornell was there when I took her, so I didn't really kidnap her; I just didn't give Fornell an option to say no. He was pretty pissed. We watched movies at my place until sometime after mid-night, and he was pacing like a father with a daughter on a first date when I dropped her off. He looked livid."

Gibbs was able to avoid laughing, but wasn't able to hide the smirk. "That's good, DiNozzo. Real good."

Tony gave McGee a smug grin at Gibbs' praise. It seemed as though the team worked extra hard for praise now that Abby wasn't around. Gibbs was always distracted and hardly acknowledged when one of them solved a case.

Gibbs wasn't the only one irritated that Abby wasn't around. Tony missed her too. He missed their casual gossip, sharing what they knew about the romance blossoming between Nancy in accounting and Ron in mail room. He missed her hugs and how he could hide in her lab if she wasn't too busy and escape from the stress of whatever case they were working on.

"Probie, I still haven't received the results from the faux-Abby. Go check on them."

"Me? Why do I have to go get the results? She'll mail them up when she's done."

McGee wasn't thrilled with Abby's absence either. It had been a few years since he and Abby had been anything more than friends, but he worried about her. He figured he trusted the FBI more than Gibbs trusted them, but he didn't like the idea of her being set up as bait to get this guy.

"I'll do it." Ziva needed a break from both McGee and Tony. Ziva missed Abby too, not because she spent that much time in her lab, but Abby kept the boys happy at work. If the boys weren't happy, Ziva wasn't happy; Tony made sure of it. Ziva was more likely to spend time with Abby outside of work. They tried to make time once a week to grab a drink after work and unwind, but she hadn't been able to even do that now that she was with Fornell.

Gibbs watched Ziva leave and then looked at his watch. It had only been two minutes since the last time he checked the time. It was going to be a long week, but if he had anything to stay about it, Abby would be safe and out of Fornell's house by the weekend – whether they had caught Vincent or not.

----

Abby was up early and paced the kitchen while Donny made breakfast. There was nothing she could do at the FBI and Fornell decided it would be safer to stay home rather than go in to NCIS. Abby wasn't sold on the idea, but didn't put up a fight.

"Relax Abby, if we go by the note, he'll try something at the dinner on Friday and then it'll all be over – preferably with him in a body bag."

"I know, I'm just so bored! And anxious. I need to get out, I need to go to a party. I need to do _something_!"

"We could play a game?"

"I'm not ten."

"We could play a drinking game."

"Fornell would kill us both if he came home to find us drunk."

"Good point." Donny placed a small stack of pancakes in front of Abby. "Maybe Russ will bring a Caf-Pow! when he comes for the shift change."

"That would be nice. So… need me to kick your ass on the X-box?" Abby grinned at Donny. He wasn't Tony, but he was fun and as much as she'd rather be at NCIS, she didn't mind spending time with Donny – though she could do without Oprah. They finished their breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen before moving to the living room to play.

"I just want to get away from this mess, you know? Get out and forget."

"I know. We'll go out sometime, okay? I think it'd be fun. We could go party or something."

"Sometime? Like tonight?"

"I'd like to keep my job. And I'd rather not worry about some psycho coming after you."

"You could keep me safe." Abby grinned. "Just think about it."

"Right." Abby and Donny played X-box until Russ arrived shortly after two. Russ wasn't interested in play video games, and with a few fluttered lashes, Abby managed to talk Donny into staying a few extra hours to play.

When Fornell arrived home, Donny said his goodbyes and left with a quick kiss to Abby's cheek.

"Better not let Gibbs see him doing that." Fornell motioned to her cheek once the door shut.

"What do you care?"

"I don't, but I'd like to spare one of my agents a split lip."

Abby couldn't help but laugh.

She spent the evening with Fornell and Russ, but had a hard time sitting still. Her friends were out, Donny was probably out. Hell, for all she knew, _Gibbs_ was even out. She knew there was a bar a few miles from his house where he went for a stiff drink every now and again for a change of scenery. "Alright guys, I think I'm going to watch a movie upstairs and then go to bed."

"Sleep well Abby," Fornell and Russ answered.

Abby headed up the stairs and shut the bedroom door before changing quickly and then settling on her bed to start a film. She wasn't all that into the movie, but it would do. For now.

---

Jack Moore arrived for his shift just after ten. He'd stopped by the house across the street to check in with the agents stationed over there. They were watching a movie and reported no suspicious activity out on the street or in front of the house.

Russ said goodbye and headed home, leaving Fornell and Jack to lock up for the night.

"Is Abby asleep?" Jack asked.

"I don't think so, she was going to watch a movie before going to bed."

"Maybe I'll just peek in and say goodnight so that she knows I'm here."

"Careful, she's been a bit cranky lately."

"I don't blame her. She needs to get back to her life." Jack headed up the stairs and knocked softly. He wasn't sure if she'd heard him through the sound of the film, so he pushed the door open.

"Abby?" Jack looked around, but didn't see her. "Boss?"

"Yeah?" Fornell had followed Jack up the steps but turned toward the bathroom.

"She's gone."

----

TBC…


	14. Chapter 14

"She's what?!" Fornell pushed his way through the doorway and scanned the room and closet for Abby. The movie she had been watching was still playing and nothing looked out of place.

"You think she snuck out?"

"She couldn't have gotten past us." Fornell went to the window. It was closed, but not locked. "Damnit! Call the agents across the street and see if they noticed anything." He knew they hadn't, they would have alerted him already, but it was worth a try. He pinched the bridge of his nose and then headed downstairs, grabbing his coat and stepping out into the street.

Fornell didn't trust his gut the way Gibbs did, but he was fairly certain Abby had left of her own will.

"Hey Boss, they said they didn't see anything across the street, and there have been no cars on the block since I arrived." Jack flipped his phone shut.

"Alright." Fornell dug his keys out of his pocket. "I have an idea of where she might be. You stay here, and I'll call to let you know if I find her." He was certain that he would find her at Gibbs' and he was livid. He skidded away from the curb, and made the usual ten minute drive to Gibbs' house in just under seven. He wasn't surprised to see the basement light on, and ignored any pretense of being polite and knocking.

"Tobias?" Gibbs looked up from where he stood working on the boat. He saw the anger on his friends face and his lips curled up in a smirk. "Your girlfriend getting on your nerves, or did she kick you out of your own house?"

"Where is she Jethro? If she's not down here hiding under your boat, you must have her upstairs keeping your bed warm."

Gibbs' initial thought was to finish what he had started the last time Fornell pushed his buttons, but if Tobias really thought Abby was here, and she wasn't…

"When did you see her last?"

"She's not here?"

"Fuck!" Gibbs raced up the stairs and grabbed his phone, dialing Tony. "DiNozzo. Is Abby with you?"

"No. Why, isn't she with Fornell?"

"No." Gibbs hung up without further explanation and turned back to Fornell. "So help me God, if he's got her…"

"I know." Fornell dug out his phone and called to check with Agent Moore. Since Abby hadn't returned, Fornell decided to call in the rest of his team. They decided not to call in the local LEOs until they knew she had been kidnapped.

Fornell asked Jack to call Russ, and decided to call Donny on his own. He was about to hang up when Donny answered.

"Uh, hey boss. What's going on?"

----

"I can't believe you talked me in to this! I'll lose my job, and then he'll kill me. Hell Fornell will knock me down and then your agent Gibbs will kill me."

"We won't get caught. Plus, we aren't breaking the law or anything, and you can just say I blackmailed you or something."

"You blackmailed me? Over what?"

"I don't know, you can make something up. But that's only if we get caught. Come on, I'm ready." Abby buckled her seatbelt and urged Donny to drive. They made it to the club, and Donny was sure they hadn't been followed. Abby was a regular to this club, and it was fairly exclusive, so Abby figured they'd be safe. She had called ahead to tell the owner about Donny, and he'd agreed to let them park and enter through the back.

She was thrilled to see her friends, and left Donny standing guard while she danced with them. They weren't there more than fifteen minutes before Donny's phone began to ring, flashing _'Fornell'_ on the caller ID.

"Uh, hey boss. What's going on?" He turned away from the blaring music. This wasn't going to end well.

---

Fornell slammed his phone shut and resisted the urge to throw it against the wall, instead turning to Gibbs. "She's fine. Apparently she and Cunningham decided to go out. He's bringing her home now. You coming?"

"No."

"No? Lord knows what could've happened to her out there. You aren't going to go make sure she's okay?"

Gibbs' jaw tensed and then relaxed and he turned back towards his basement. "She's your girlfriend, you deal with it." He knew that not even Abby would be able to stop him if he was face-to-face with Fornell's agent.

Fornell nodded and left. He managed to calm down on the drive home, but the sight of Donny's car in front of his house stirred up the rage again. He couldn't believe they would be so stupid. He had no legal hold over Abby - if she wanted to leave, there was nothing he could do to stop her, but she knew she wasn't supposed to go anywhere and the fact that she snuck out with one of his agents pissed him off beyond belief.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Fornell dropped his coat on the coat rack.

"I'm not your daughter, Tobias. I can do what I want. No need to yell." Abby responded coolly. "I was bored, I miss my friends and I just wanted to get out. I brought Donny along for security, and it's an exclusive club, so not just anyone can get in. I was safe."

"If it was that important you should have said something and I could have sent security over beforehand. What if something had happened to you and Donny? We wouldn't have known until tomorrow." Fornell struggled to keep his voice calm.

"Nothing happened."

"But…"

"You can't live with the what if's Tobias. You know that."

"You could have at least left a note. If I had known for sure you were off with one of my agents I wouldn't have gone to Gibbs."

"You went to _Gibbs?!" Oh God, Oh God, Oh God!_

"Well yeah, I thought that maybe you had snuck out and headed to his place."

"Damnit, I should call him." Abby started to dig for her phone.

"I would wait, if I were you. He knows you're safe, but he wasn't happy."

Abby had nearly been ready to press the call button but flipped the phone shut instead. She decided that she'd give him time to cool down before talking to him. She hated when he sounded disappointed in her. "I'm going to bed. Be nice to him," Abby pointed to Donny. "I talked him in to it."

---

Abby was fairly certain Wednesday was punishment. Fornell left a note that he would be home late, not to wait up, and that she was, under no circumstances to go anywhere. Donny had reassured her that he was keeping his job, but Abby still felt bad about dragging him into her drama. She had slept poorly Tuesday night, hoping that Gibbs understood that although she knew there was a certain amount of danger involved, she wasn't meant to be kept away from the people she cared about. She hoped he wouldn't be too mad.

She called NCIS hoping to catch Gibbs around lunch time, but McGee answered his phone and informed her that Gibbs was up in MTAC and had no idea when he'd be finished. She chatted for a few minutes with McGee, but let him hang up when his own phone started to ring.

Abby tossed and turned when she went to bed Wednesday night, and after two hours she reached for her phone to call Gibbs. She dialed and her finger hovered over the call button a few moments. She wasn't sure if he was still awake or not, or if he even wanted to talk to her. Surely McGee would have told him that she had called and he would have called her back, right?

She pressed call and waited for the phones to connect.

"_Yeah, Gibbs." _

His voice echoed slightly, and she knew he was in his large basement with the boat. At least she hadn't woken him up. "Gibbs."

She heard him set whatever tool he was using back on the bench. _"You okay, Abbs?"_

"Mm hmm." Suddenly her throat felt tight and she felt like she was going to cry. "I'm sorry. I didn't think he'd notice that I left and I certainly didn't think that he would go looking for me at your place, and-" Abby sniffled.

"_I know. Shh. It's okay."_ He had been pissed, but he also understood that Abby hadn't meant to scare anyone; she just wanted to get out with her friends. He hated that she was upset and he couldn't comfort her. _"It'll all be over soon, I promise. I'll get you back to NCIS soon."_

"I know you will. And Gibbs?" Abby hesitated. "When this is all over, can we maybe go to that jazz bar like you suggested? I just," she wasn't sure what to say. "I just think it would be relaxing."

"_We'll do that."_

"Thanks." Abby sighed. "Gibbs?"

"_Yeah?"_

"Can you come over?" She knew he couldn't, but she could always ask. And hope.

"_Abby," _Gibbs sighed._ "You know I can't."_

"I know." Abby tried not to sound disappointed.

"_Get some sleep Abby. I'll see you soon."_

"Goodnight Gibbs. I miss you."

"_Night Abbs."_

----

TBC…

And you all thought Vincent had her… tsk tsk. ;)


	15. Chapter 15

This is probably my favorite chapter so far. I hope you enjoy!

---

Thursday felt like a repeat of Wednesday. Fornell had already left by the time Abby woke up and Donny informed her that Fornell would be working late again. She tried to be her usual happy self, playing video games with Donny, then playing card games with Russ when he came in for his shift. She waited up a while after Jack arrived at 2200 for his shift, but if Fornell was going to ignore her, she would ignore him right back.

"Want a drink, Jack?"

"No ma'am, I can't when I'm on duty."

Abby rolled her eyes at him and moved over to Fornell's liquor cabinet to see what he had. "Not even a glass of wine?"

"No thank you."

"Hmph." Abby pawed through the various liquor bottles, not all that surprised to find that he didn't have much, but she settled on a single malt scotch and headed upstairs.

She had taken three long drinks before the idea of using a glass crossed her mind, and another few drinks before she realized that maybe watering it down a bit, or at least having a few ice cubes might help. _Damnit, if I were with Gibbs, he'd kick me out if I even hinted at watering down my drink._

She unzipped the garment bag containing her dress and hung it over the closet door so she could look at it. She wondered what Gibbs would think about it, if he would smile appreciatively at her and look her over like he had when she was dressed as Marilyn Monroe. Or if he would outright tell her she looked beautiful. She wondered…

Abby reached for her phone and dialed Gibbs.

"_Yeah, Gibbs."_

"Don't you ever check your caller I.D.? I know it's you that I'm calling."

"_You okay, Abbs?"_

"I'm fine Gibbs. I'm just bored."

"_You aren't off at some club, are you?"_

"If I was, would you come rescue me?"

"_I think I'll leave that to your boyfriend."_

"He's not my boyfriend. He's not even here. I think he's still mad and he's getting revenge by ignoring me."

Gibbs sighed. He didn't like that Fornell wasn't around to help keep her safe, but he couldn't complain. He didn't like the idea of him cozying up to Abby on the couch at the end of the evening. Instead of talking about Fornell he decided to try and change the subject. Ziva had told him about their shopping trip and that Abby was excited about her new dress. He remembered Shannon spinning in circles after she'd purchased a new dress. He didn't understand excitement over new clothes, but if it made her feel better… _"You all ready for the dinner tomorrow? Ziva told me you found a new dress."_

"I did! And it's gorgeous! I wish you could see. It's a vintage inspired dress, black lace and really poofy around my legs. It pinches in nicely at the waist. Very sexy. It sounds sexy, right?"

Gibbs chuckled at her enthusiasm over the dress. _"It does."_

"What about you, Gibbs. What are you wearing?"

"_For what?"_ He didn't think that Fornell had spoken to Abby about him being at the dinner – it still hadn't been figured out, but Gibbs knew he would be there. One way or another.

"Right now, Gibbs. What are you wearing now? I'm in my nightgown. It's all white, but you've seen it before when you saved me after that creep was after me because I was in Timmy's book. That's actually the exact nightgown I'm wearing." Abby paused to take another drink from the bottle. "But not the cap, I left that at home."

"_Abby, are you drinking?"_

"I am, in fact, drinking. But you haven't answered my question. What are you wearing Gibbs?"

He could hear her take another long drink and knew she was making some sort of face at whatever her drink of choice was. _"Clothes."_

"Oh Gibbs, that's so…" Abby thought for a moment, "non-descript. What are you wearing?"

"_Jeans and a shirt, one that I got at sears according to DiNozzo. And I just pulled on my red sweatshirt."_

"That's sexy too, Gibbs." She took another long drink. "D'you have sawdust all over? I remember the last time I was visiting you, and I ended up with sawdust everywhere. But that's okay because it smells nice. It smells like you. Or do you smell like it? With a dash of Old Spice to spice it up a bit."

"_What are you drinking, Abby?"_ He could imagine the frown lines across her forehead as she looked at the bottle.

"Glen… Glenfid-dd-dd-dich. Glenfidd-ddich."

"_Glenfiddich?"_

"Yeah, that. It's not very good. You want to come over and drink with me? I'll show you my dress. You might have to help me in it though."

"_I would like that Abbs,"_ he figured she wouldn't remember their conversation, _"but you know I can't. I don't even drink scotch. I stick with the bourbon, remember?"_

"I know, but maybe you could just swing by with your red sweatshirt covered in sawdust? I miss you Gibbs. I miss you a lot, and some saw dust might help."

He hoped she wasn't going to have too big of a headache in the morning. _"Abby, you need to get some sleep."_

"I know," Abby yawned.

"I'll see you soon. And Abby?"

"Hmm?"

He could hear that she was half asleep. "I'm sure you look beautiful in your dress."

"Mmhmm. Thanks Gibbs."

He wasn't sure if she hung up purposely, or if the phone slipped from her hand and shut on its own, but he was fairly certain she was asleep. He knew she had been drinking, but the way she told him she missed him had touched him in a way that he couldn't describe. It tore him up inside that she was actually asking him to be there for her and he couldn't - Fornell was in his way. He wanted to go to her, to tell her she would be okay and that he would make everything go away, so that she could return to NCIS like before. He wanted to tell her how he felt, but he'd settle for having things go back to how they were.

He thought awhile longer and tried to get back into the flow he'd had working on his boat, but his mind kept drifting back to her asking him to come over.

"Screw it." Gibbs put away the tools he was using, and then carried his empty coffee cup upstairs. He checked his back pocket for his wallet, grabbed his keys off the kitchen counter and headed out to his car.

He circled the block twice before he pulled up in front of Fornell's house. He waved at the agents he knew were stationed across the street and knocked on the door. He was please when Jack Moore answered with his gun drawn - at least one of Fornell's agents was prepared.

"Agent Gibbs, what can I do for you?"

"I'm here to see Abby."

"She went to bed a long time ago." Gibbs waited for Jack to step aside and then entered. "Agent Fornell didn't say anything about you stopping by."

"He doesn't know."

"Oh, I um… well, I guess you are on the list of approved visitors, but I think Fornell didn't want anyone visiting."

"I'm not visiting Fornell." Gibbs took the stairs slowly, unsure of why he was really there, or what he intended on doing. He listened for a moment outside Abby's room when he saw the light was on. Hearing nothing, he pushed the door open.

He smiled when he saw Abby. She had obviously been sitting on the floor, leaning back against the bed as they talked. Her phone lay by her side and she was resting her head back on the mattress.

"Oh Abbs." He crouched down beside her and ran his hand along her cheek, smiling when she leaned into his touch. He stood to pull back the covers on her bed and then moved back to her side and bent down to lift her off the ground.

She mumbled something that he couldn't decipher, and leaned against his chest. "Time for bed. Come on."

"Mm, I hafta call Gibbs and say g'night." She snuggled against her pillow when he put her down.

"I'm right here, Abby." He tucked the blankets in around her shoulders and sat beside her. She was asleep again, the alcohol likely dulling her senses. He was sure she otherwise would've woken up when she was moved, especially since there was a target on her back. He leaned over her to press his lips to her forehead in a soft kiss. "Sweet dreams."

Satisfied that she was okay, he stood and went in search of a glass of water and some Tylenol for the headache she would undoubtedly have when she woke up. With the water and medicine set out on her nightstand, Gibbs was ready leave. He smiled down at her, and then telling himself she had meant what she said, he slipped his sweatshirt over his head and draped it over her.

Abby sighed and rolled toward the wall, taking the sweatshirt with her.

Gibbs was halfway across the room before he noticed the dress hanging over her closet door. He looked from the dress to Abby, and then back to the dress. She was right, it was sexy.

---

The sun peeking through the window shades caused Abby to pull the blanket up over her head. Her mouth was dry and her head hurt; she felt like she had gone three rounds with the devil the night before.

Blinking at the clock on the nightstand, Abby was distracted by the bottle of water and the Tylenol beside her bed. Whoever had brought that to her was a godsend. She figured she owed Fornell big time, as well as a bottle of scotch.

She struggled to reach for the water, but her arm caught in fabric. As her eyes adjusted to the light, the bright red of Gibbs' sweatshirt lay in stark contrast to the white and pink sheets she was sleeping on. She sat up with a start, ignoring her throbbing headache. "Gibbs?" She pulled the sweatshirt up to her nose and inhaled deeply. It smelled just like Gibbs after a long night in the basement.

She tried to remember the night before. She remembered the drinking and the phone call. And she remembered Gibbs tucking her in, but that had felt like a dream.

Abby took the Tylenol and then slipped the sweatshirt over her head. It was going to be a long day.

----

TBC…


	16. Chapter 16

It was noon before Abby felt like she was somewhat back to normal. Her shower and breakfast from Donny had helped, but something told her it was the comfort of the sweatshirt and the scent of saw dust and Gibbs that eventually put a smile on her face.

Fornell arrived home just as Abby was headed upstairs to start on her hair and makeup. Cocktail hour was from five until six, with dinner starting promptly at six. Fornell called her back down and they took a few minutes to go over the layout and the schedule one last time.

Abby stood in front of the mirror in her bathrobe as she decided what do with her hair. She was nervous. She had to play the perfect girlfriend, and at the same time watch for anyone that resembled Vincent. She hadn't taken a good look at him when he had knocked at the door, but she could remember his eyes. She was sure she would always remember his eyes.

She decided to pin her hair up, sticking with a 50's style to match with dress. She wanted to leave the spider web tattoo uncovered, but Fornell had been eyeing it as she talked about how to do her hair, so she dug out her foundation and covered it. She leaned in close to the mirror to line her eyes and apply a few layers of mascara and then picked out a vibrant red shade of lipstick.

Abby's fingers trembled as she tried to work the clasp on the pearl necklace. She had been mentally preparing for tonight, but now that it had finally arrived, Abby felt the butterflies move relentlessly around her stomach.

Her eyes were closed as she focused on working the clasp and for a brief moment; when warm hands covered hers, she let herself believe it was Gibbs helping her get ready for their date to the jazz bar. She opened her eyes and smiled at Fornell before dropping her hands and letting him work her necklace. "I guess I'm just a little nervous."

"It's okay. If all goes to plan, if Vincent is following like we suspect he is, it'll all be over after tonight."

"And if he doesn't show up?"

Fornell sighed and turned her around to face him. "We'll figure something out. Let's worry about tonight first, okay?"

"Yeah. I'm ready to go. I'll just grab my shoes and meet you downstairs."

"I'll be down in a few."

---

Abby smiled as she stepped into the ballroom at the swanky hotel the FBI had chosen to host the event. She knew it was formal, but she hadn't expected the FBI to put so much effort into decorating. To the left there was a stage at one end where a band was set up, then a large expanse of hardwood floor for dancing. To the right was a large group of tables where people were milling about and searching for their place cards. Abby stuck close to Fornell during the cocktail hour, trying to converse politely with the people she was introduced to as well as keep watch for anyone suspicious. She saw several faces she recognized, and several more that she didn't.

She watched as waiters in black and white moved around the crowd, carrying trays of finely arranged food and drinks. She avoided them, though, since her stomach was doing flips and she wasn't sure if anything would stay down. People slowly began drifting towards their seats so that the evening could begin.

The MC tapped on the microphone and introduced himself as Lee Sheridan, saying a few words about himself and his job at the FBI. Abby mostly tuned him out as Fornell led her to her seat between himself and Donny Cunningham. She smiled at Donny, glad to be sitting between two people that she knew. She settled into her seat and scanned the crowd, trying to commit all the faces to memory.

"Now I would like to introduce Devon Mitchell, the recipient of the 2009 community leadership award. Devon, come on up."

Abby looked toward the sound of a chair scuffing across the floor. Looking past the crowd her eyes caught sight of Gibbs pulling out a chair at a table on the far side of the room. Devon stood up halfway between where Abby was sitting and where she had seen Gibbs, blocking her view.

"Gibbs," Abby leaned in to whisper to Fornell. "He's here. I saw him. Over there." With Devon making his way through the crowd, Abby nodded in the direction she had seen Gibbs, but with so many people, she couldn't make out where he was. "I saw him, I swear I did."

Fornell nodded and turned his attention back to the stage where Devon was describing his work in the community and expressing his gratitude.

With Fornell seemingly ignoring her claim to having seen Gibbs, Abby leaned over to Donny. "Is agent Gibbs on the guest list? I swear I just saw him."

"Not that I'm aware of." Donny looked to Fornell, but the slight glare told him not to ask. "I don't know."

Abby kept searching the crowd throughout dinner. Every time someone stood or shifted in their seat she swept over the crowd with her eyes in hopes she could prove herself right.

"I'm sure you were just seeing things, Abby." Fornell dismissed. "Why would Jethro be at an FBI event?"

Abby frowned. "I don't know, I just thought…" Abby chatted politely with the rest of the people at the table as she tried to think of why Gibbs would be at the dinner. Having successfully forgotten about Vincent and the fact that there was a target on her back, Abby excused herself to use the restroom. Fornell nodded at a woman two tables over and she got up to follow Abby to the ladies room.

Abby rolled her eyes as the agent Fornell had gestured to, Marie Whitson, followed her into the bathroom. "I don't need a babysitter."

"I know, but I'm just doing my job. I've got to earn a paycheck."

"Want to earn an extra fifty?"

Marie moved next to Abby in front of the mirror and fluffed her hair. "How?"

Abby dug her phone out of her clutch and brought up the photo of Gibbs she used on his caller I.D. "Can you go take a look and see if this man is here? I swear I saw him, but now I can't find him. I really need to talk to him."

"I can't leave you here alone, but when we go back out there I don't see why I can't take a look."

"Good. Tell Agent Fornell he owes you that extra $50." When Abby was finished, she headed back to the table, scanning the crowd for Gibbs. Dinner was over and people were beginning to mill about again until dessert was served. Back at the table, Abby tried to focus on what Fornell was telling her about the leadership award, but she had a hard time concentrating. Eventually Donny managed to get her attention away from Fornell and they chatted quietly about trivial things – the price of a decent lap top, the way Abby missed Major Mass Spec, and how Donny needed to loosen up and go clubbing now and again - while Fornell discussed budget cuts and other FBI business that Abby tuned out.

Abby was mid-conversation with Donny when firm hands gripped her shoulders. She was about to shrug off the hands but stopped when Donny smiled nervously. "Hello Agent Gibbs."

"Gibbs?" Abby struggled to jump up from her chair, but Gibbs held her in her spot so she wouldn't make a scene. He loved the contrast of the lacey fabric of her dress and the soft skin of her shoulders under his fingers. "What are you doing here?"

"Agent Cunningham." His greeting to Donny was short, cold and dismissive. He still hadn't forgotten that Donny had been Abby's partner in crime when she snuck out of Fornell's place a few nights prior. "Hey Abbs." He gave her shoulders a slight squeeze in lieu of a kiss to the cheek. "You look beautiful tonight."

"Thank you." Abby smiled up at him. "You look real good too, Gibbs. I don't think I've ever seen you dressed up so nicely. I like it." Abby loved the boyish grin she got out of the compliment. She didn't know what to talk about with Donny and Fornell right there, but she wasn't ready for Gibbs to go back to wherever he had been hiding, and she had given up on him explaining why he was at the party. She noticed that people were starting to dance. It would be the perfect place for them to talk quietly without Fornell listening in. She hadn't seen Gibbs in two weeks, and she just wanted to relax in the safety of his arms as they moved around the dance floor. _Ask me to dance, ask me to dance, ask me to dance._

Gibbs saw that the dancing had caught her eye. He wanted to ask her, he wasn't sure it would go over well, but…

"Abby," Fornell leaned in before Gibbs could ask. "We should probably make a few rounds and then hit the dance floor."

Abby looked at Fornell and back to Gibbs hoping he would step in and ask her to dance. He didn't.

"Have fun, Abby." This time Gibbs didn't resist dropping a quick kiss to her cheek before he walked away.

----

TBC…


	17. Chapter 17

Whoops! Sorry about the delay – the holidays got in the way.

---

Abby tried to tell herself that he hadn't asked her to dance because he didn't want to break her cover, but deep down she felt maybe she was being punished for the stunt she had pulled with Donny, maybe even for agreeing to the whole situation with Fornell. She watched until he disappeared into the crowd. Fornell began pull lightly on her arm so she stood and followed him toward the dance floor.

They stopped so Fornell could introduce her to a few of his co-workers, but Abby missed their names and what exactly they did at the FBI, instead thinking of why Gibbs was there and why he left without saying more than a few words. _Not like he's mister chatty,_ Abby thought to herself. _But –_

"Come on Abby, how about we take a round on the dance floor. Shall we?"

Abby nodded and wordlessly followed Fornell out on to the dance floor. She stepped up to Fornell and tried not to think about the fact that she'd rather be dancing with Gibbs. They made a slow rotation, the music slowly relaxing her. _This isn't so bad, it could be worse_, she told herself. After another slow circle on the dance floor, Abby's eyes caught on the familiar sight of the silvery back of Gibbs' head. She was almost ready to pull out of Fornell's arms when Marie Whitson, the red-head FBI agent from the bathroom, stepped up to him. Abby watched for as long as possible, until Fornell turned her back toward the bar. As they turned again, she expected the agent to be pointing to where Abby was dancing, but instead she was accepting a drink and leaning entirely too close to Gibbs for Abby's comfort.

Fornell hadn't seen Gibbs at the bar, so he grimaced when Abby's fingers dug into his shoulder. "Abby?"

"I'm fine." Abby closed her eyes and tried to shake the image of Gibbs and Marie at the bar. _There is nothing to be jealous of_, she told herself again. She had a role to play and she was going to play it. _To the best of my damn ability._

The music picked up and Fornell asked if she would prefer to sit back down or continue dancing. Abby's first thought was to sit back down and then excuse herself to go in search of Gibbs. When she glanced back toward the bar to find that Gibbs and Marie were no longer standing there, she gritted her teeth and then smiled sweetly at Fornell. "Let's dance."

Fornell smiled and they moved about the dance floor. Abby was tense, but after he spun her around, she had loosened up and appeared to enjoy herself. Tobias couldn't help but laugh when he dipped Abby and she giggled like a school girl.

"Wow Tobias, I didn't think you could dance."

"Diane made me take lessons before our wedding."

"Ah, and here I thought you had been out clubbing."

"Right." Fornell dipped Abby again, pulling her up slowly when the music slowed. She was relaxed in his arms, but he could tell that as the music slowed Abby let her mind wander again. "You sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I just, I don't know." _Gibbs and the red-head. God, it's just like how the whole thing got started. Gibbs at the bar with a red-head and I'm stuck with Tobias._

"It's Gibbs." He didn't have to ask, he already knew.

"Why is he here?"

Fornell stopped dancing and stepped away from Abby, then extended a hand. "Why don't we step into the hallway and have a little chat."

Abby took Fornell's outstretched hand. "Okay."

----

It took awhile for him to shake the pretty red-head who introduced herself as Agent Marie Whitson. She was attractive, smart, and on a normal day he would've charmed her to perhaps gain insight to any FBI cases that might cross paths with NCIS. But it wasn't a normal day, and he could care less about other cases. His thoughts were centered on Abby. He was irritated when Agent Whitson leaned into his space and tried to engage him in conversation. It took five minutes longer than he'd hoped for her to pick up on the fact that he wasn't interested. He couldn't keep an eye on Abby from the bar, so he went in search of a better view point.

Gibbs peered down over the railing of the balcony. He watched as Fornell spun Abby around the dance floor; she moved gracefully in her 50's inspired formal dress. He knew he shouldn't be feeling the jealousy that balled in the pit of his stomach, but he couldn't help it. There was something about the way Abby held on to Fornell and laughed at whatever he was telling her. Fornell dipped Abby and then pulled her up slowly. They moved gracefully to the new song the band was playing.

He couldn't see the look on Abby's face when Tobias stepped back and then reached for her hand to lead her off to one of the back hallways. He felt anger boil up inside and threaten to spill. His friend was moving in on Abby and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He had almost convinced himself to go home when he noticed a man dressed in a black suit duck into the hallway after them.

----

"Abby, you've got to tell me what's bothering you!" Fornell led her further down the hall and they turned into a small room that looked like it had once been used for storage.

"Why is Gibbs here?"

"I told him not to come."

"Why?"

"Abby, you know he's here to look out for you. He's concerned about your safety, and I don't blame him, but it's because of this that I asked him not to come. You get all worked up and distracted when Jethro is around. When this is all over you really should figure it out." Fornell frowned at the blank look Abby had given him. "What is-"

"What? Don't believe your girl loves you, Tobias?"

Fornell spun around and found himself face to face with a man in a black suit. He didn't recognize him, but there was something familiar about his eyes. "Vincent."

"It's been awhile, but we finally meet."

"Let her go, this is between us." Fornell motioned back at Abby, urging her to start moving around Vincent, toward the door.

"I don't think so." Vincent pulled a gun from his pocket and pointed it toward her head until she moved to stand beside Fornell, Vincent the only thing standing between them and the door.

Fornell's fingers itched to reach for a gun he knew he wasn't carrying.

"All you had to do was save my girlfriend, but you failed. She died because you couldn't do your job." Vincent ran a hand through his hair and his voice waivered slightly. "All you had to do was save her and you failed." He pointed the gun toward Fornell and then at Abby. "And now you'll pay. The same way I did. We'll be even and then, just maybe, I can move on with my life."

"Set the gun down, we can work this out. My men and I, we tried our hardest. If you do something drastic, you won't get out alive. This place is swarming with FBI. You don't think they'll hear the gunshot?"

"Don't you think I know that? I'm not dumb, I have a silencer!"

"Abby's not even my girlfriend, you saw us at the bar that night with mutual friends." Fornell couldn't let Abby go down for his mistake.

"No." Vincent thought a moment. "I've seen you two together, you can't lie to me."

"I don't love him, it's been an act to try and get you out. I've practically been a prisoner the past four weeks in his house, playing the happy girlfriend because of you! I don't love him, I love someone else!"

"Abby!" Fornell snapped. "Not helping."

"Helping?!" Abby shouted back at him, momentarily forgetting her fear. "Tobias, why don't _you_ start helping? You're the one that got me in to all of this in the first place!"

"Stop it! Just stop! SHUT UP!" Vincent paced, waving his gun wildly through the air.

"If you'll just calm down…"

"I said, _SHUT UP_!" Vincent pointed his gun and fired.

----

TBC…

Sorry, just had to flex the whole cliffhanger muscle.


	18. Chapter 18

"You hacked in yet, McFBI?" Tony leaned in to peek over McGee's shoulder.

"Back off Tony, I'm almost done. Just give me some room."

"Relax Tony, we are all worried," Ziva paced slowly behind the two other agents. Director Vance has subtly let the agents know that MTAC would be empty Friday night, and that with a little creative thinking perhaps the chatter over at the FBI could be hacked.

The team had stayed silent as they watched Gibbs retrieve a garment bag from the coat hook in autopsy and then head to his car. They knew he hadn't been invited to the FBI event that Abby and Fornell were attending, but with Gibbs they knew he didn't need an invite to attend. Abby's safety was potentially on the line. There was nothing Gibbs wouldn't do to protect her.

As soon as the elevator doors had shut behind Gibbs, Tony, McGee and Ziva had grabbed their bags and scrambled up the stairs to MTAC.

"Alright, I think we're in." McGee flipped a switch and the sound of FBI security echoed through the room. The majority of what they heard was various agents on guard, noting their position, and suspicious activity and then confirming that all was indeed well.

Once they hacked into the FBI communication channel, Tony had McGee pull the Ohio State game up on the large screen and mute the volume. Ziva opened her backpack and pulled out a bag of chips, pouring them into a bowl she found in the staff lounge, while McGee went in search of coffee.

The game ended just before nine and all three agents were nearly dozing off when the first bit of interesting news came over the line.

_Does anyone on the floor have a visual on Miss Sciuto and Agent Fornell?_

_No sir, no visual from position one._ The first answer crackled in over the radio.

_I saw them step into the hall just a moment ago, looked like they needed a minute alone_. A second voice answered.

_Give them a few minutes then. Keep an eye on the clock._

"Alone time with Fornell?" McGee chuckled. "Something must be wrong if she needs alone time with him. Maybe she had to split up another Gibbs-Fornell spat."

"Did you see Fornell's split lip? Gibbs must have gotten him good." Tony smirked.

Ziva nodded in agreement. They chatted on a while longer, nothing new coming across the radio feed until a frantic voice made all three agents jump from their seats.

_Shots fired in the storage room off the back hall. Send a call through to FBI headquarters. Initial report, two people shot. Back up requested for crowd control. Ambulance already en-route; Potential life-threatening injuries. _

When the radio line disconnected, Tony swore and dug his cell phone from his pocket, dialing Gibbs' number as he paced. Gibbs' phone rang and then switched to voicemail. Tony left a frantic message for Gibbs to call back immediately.

As Tony dialed and redialed Gibbs, Ziva dialed Abby's phone, but when it went right to voicemail she knew the phone had been turned off for the dinner.

"We've got to get over there." McGee gathered his bag and stood by the door waiting for the others.

"We do not know if they are there, or if they are on their way to the hospital. Gibbs will call us as soon as he can. We have to wait for him." Ziva took control of the situation.

----

Gibbs' gut was uneasy about the man following Fornell and Abby around the corner. He was confident his friend would have the situation, should one arise, under control, but with Abby involved, he needed to be sure. He was down the steps from the balcony when Marie grabbed his arm.

"Wanna dance?"

"No." Gibbs shrugged off her arm.

"Oh, you know, I think you might be the man that this woman Abby was looking for earlier. She asked if I had seen someone, and you fit the description pretty close. She didn't say anything about you being so cranky."

"I saw her."

"I think she's with her date. You sure you don't want to dance until she gets back?"

Gibbs ignored her and wove through the crowd before ducking around the same corner he saw Abby and Tobias disappear around.

----

Marie frowned when Gibbs shrugged her off and turned back to the tables. She couldn't help herself but flirt with him, even though Abby had shown obvious interest, there was no harm in asking him to dance. Abby was with Fornell anyway, wasn't she?

She moved over to where Agent Cunningham was sitting, spinning the salt shaker on the table. He smiled at her as she sat beside him. He was about to say something when a voice cut through in the ear pieces they were both wearing.

_Does anyone on the floor have a visual on Miss Sciuto and Agent Fornell?_

"No sir, no visual from position one". Donny answered after a sweeping glance around the room.

"I saw them step into the hall just a moment ago, looked like they needed a minute alone." Marie added.

----

The force of the bullet caused Fornell to stagger backwards a few steps. He gripped his shoulder, trying to slow the blood that was soaking through his jacket. He wasn't sure if Vincent had meant to only slow him down or if he was just a bad shot.

Abby reached out to grab his uninjured arm and steady him. "You okay?" Abby pushed aside the fear that Vincent was still standing only feet from them with his gun.

"Yeah, went right through. I'll be fine."

"_See!"_ Vincent shouted. "You care! You do love him. But he's right. He'll be fine; it's not him I'm here for. It's you."

"What did I ever do to you?" Abby snapped.

"Nothing. Pain will be quick for you, don't worry. I won't let you suffer. It's him that needs to suffer. He'll suffer through his grief the rest of his life. There is no escape from that. But for you, my dear, it will be quick. Don't be scared." Vincent took aim again.

Abby squeezed her eyes shut, letting out a soft cry as another gunshot sounded around her. She clutched her hands to her chest and fell hard to her knees.

----

Tbc..

I know how you kids like cliffhangers :P


	19. Chapter 19

Abby readied herself for the pain she knew she would feel. When nothing happened, Abby hesitated to open her eyes. _Maybe this is how it happened. Maybe Vincent was right and it didn't hurt, that it happened so quickly I felt nothing. Maybe I'm already dead..._

When she finally allowed her eyes to open she was shocked to see Gibbs kneeling beside Vincent, feeling for a pulse. Abby let out a small gasp and scrambled backwards until she felt the wall behind her. She let herself slide down to the floor in a heap.

A rush of people moved in at the sound of Gibbs' gunshot, with several FBI agents circling Vincent, and Donny rushing to give Fornell assistance. She let her eyes drift shut again, feeling dizzy. When she opened her eyes back up, everyone seemed to move in slow motion - the medics arrived, and Abby guessed that Vincent hadn't been killed when they started working on him. Next she watched as two medics tended to Fornell, eventually helping him from the room.

Abby sought Gibbs out as people cleared out of the room, eventually catching his gaze, just before he was led from the room by an FBI agent. Her heart sank. He knew she needed him, and he was leaving? A hand waved in front of her face, and Abby looked up to see Donny peering down at her. "You okay?"

Abby nodded. She wasn't okay, but she wasn't hurt either.

"Come on, why don't we get you out of here."

Abby shook her head. She wasn't ready to move yet. "Just… give me some space. Please."

"Alright, I'll be back in a few minutes."

She watched Donny walk away and then closed her eyes again, leaning her head back against the wall. There were still a few other FBI agents in the room, taking sketches and securing the gun that Vincent had dropped.

Abby heard as footsteps approached her, and assuming it was Donny returning as promised, she squeezed her eyes tighter, hoping he'd catch the message.

---

As soon as people rushed into the room after he pulled the trigger, Gibbs was ready to rush to Abby, sweep her into his arms and tell her that everything was okay. Before he could take a step toward her, though, one of the security guards grabbed hold of his arm and asked if he could answer a few questions. Security was well aware of the threat that Vincent posed, but the guard needed the basic information for the report.

Gibbs hesitated to step away, but saw Donny moving toward her, so he let the guard pull him aside. He gave a brief statement; he hadn't heard much, just rounded the corner in time to see Vincent raise his gun toward Abby and he fired, the bullet tearing through the man's back and likely lodging somewhere in his ribcage.

He gave his name and number to the FBI agent and showed his NCIS badge as well. When they were finished, he expected someone to be getting Abby's side of the story, but saw that she was sitting against the wall with her head leaning back and her eyes closed.

Nodding to Fornell, who was being helped from the room by two medics, Gibbs silently walked over to where Abby sat. He turned his back to the wall, and slowly lowered himself beside her, ignoring the protest of his knees. He felt her tense up beside him, so he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. "It's over," he murmured against her temple.

"You left me." With Gibbs beside her Abby finally felt safe, and the feeling of safety let her other emotions roll in. When she eventually spoke it was in a half sob. "You came in and saved the day like you always do, but then, when I needed you the most, you walked away. _I need you_."

"I shot someone, Abbs. I just had to answer a few questions."

"There were suddenly all these people, everything was so loud and chaotic and you were nowhere and…"

Gibbs pulled her tighter into his side and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "I didn't leave. I wouldn't leave you. _Ever_."

"Oh God-" As the reality of the whole situation started to sink in, Abby started to panic, gasping for air and trembling under Gibbs' arm.

"Abby," Gibbs tried to soothe her. "Abbs, you need to calm down and breathe."

"I… I can't…" Abby grabbed at her tightening throat, the feeling that she couldn't breathe threatening to take over. "I can't breathe."

"You can. Look at me," Gibbs tilted her face so that she was forced to look at him. "Open your eyes and look at me." Gibbs waited until her eyes fluttered open to look at him. "I didn't leave you Abbs. I never left. I've been right here for you the whole time."

Abby's breathing started to slow and even out and her eyes welled up as she looked at Gibbs. Then, without warning, Abby moved to sit awkwardly in Gibbs' lap, wrapping her arms around him, and burying her face in his neck as she cried.

Gibbs held her tightly, rubbing her back slowly and letting her cry. He watched as FBI agents moved in front of them, working the scene, and starting to clean up. He was in no hurry to rush Abby through her tears, and he knew that there would likely be more in the coming hours and even days. It wasn't just tonight that she had to work through, but the past four weeks as well.

Once Abby had finally managed to collect herself, she pushed off of his lap and as gracefully as possible, moved to her feet. Gibbs stood as well, but made no move to leave, letting Abby collect her thoughts and straighten out her dress.

When Abby was ready she turned to Gibbs and let him pull her into another hug. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to his chest, taking comfort in the strong heartbeat below her ear.

"Let me take you home, Abbs."

Abby pulled back enough so she could look up at him, her eyes wide with the fear of being alone. "No. I don't want to go home. Not yet. I don't want to be alo-"

"My home." He pulled her back against him, and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "We'll swing by Fornell's and get what you need for now."

"Okay." Abby sucked in one last deep breath, missing the scent of sawdust that normally accompanied Gibbs, and then pulled away. She let Gibbs direct her out of the room, with a hand on her lower back, to the parking garage to his car.

Gibbs helped her into the passenger seat of his car, and leaned across her to buckle her in. Shutting her door firmly, he moved around to the driver's side and got in. Starting the car, he shifted into drive and then let his hand drift down to cover hers, which rested in her lap.

The drive to Fornell's house was silent but not uncomfortable with both of them trying to process the evening's events.

Jack Moore had been left to guard the house and was surprised to see Abby return home with Gibbs rather than Fornell. "Is everything okay? Where is Tobias?"

Gibbs sent Abby upstairs to gather what she needed for the night and then pulled Jack into the kitchen to explain the events of the evening. Once Jack had been filled in, Gibbs pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at the eight missed calls from DiNozzo. With Abby still upstairs, Gibbs called him back.

_Boss!_

"DiNozzo." Gibbs was calm but firm. He wasn't sure how Tony had already heard about the shooting, but he obviously had. "Abby is fine. A little shaken up, but she's fine. Fornell took a bullet in the arm, but he'll be fine too."

_You sure she's okay? I need to talk to her. Vincent?_

"She's fine. I'll have her call you in a bit. I put a round in Vincent; he was taken to the hospital as well. Don't know if he'll make it. She's fine DiNozzo." Gibbs hung up before Tony could protest. Just as he was sliding his phone back in his pocket, Gibbs heard Abby's footsteps down the stairs. She was still wearing her dress, but she had slipped his red sweatshirt over it and had a bag slung over her shoulder.

He walked over to where she stood at the base of the steps and adjusted the neck of the sweatshirt, then used it to hold her still as he kissed her forehead. "Ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready."

Gibbs took her hand and led her back out to the car. "Once we get to my place you should probably call DiNozzo. I don't want him showing up and busting through the door in the middle of the night because he's worried." Gibbs caught the small smile that played on Abby's lips.

The drive from Fornell's house to Gibbs' was again silent. He wanted to ask what she was thinking, but he could tell that she was trying to work through things in her mind, so he let her think. When he turned onto his street, Gibbs let out an irritated sigh. Apparently DiNozzo had decided to bust through his door early. Tony, Ziva and McGee had all parked out front of his house, and the three agents were standing on his front porch.

"I think they were worried."

Gibbs pulled into his driveway and killed the engine before turning to look at Abby and offering a small smile. "Ya think?" He was slightly irritated at the crowd that had gathered at his place; he needed time alone with Abby. They had more than just Vincent to talk about, but at the same time he understood their concern. If he had been in their position, he would have done the same thing.

As Gibbs got out of the car he looked back at the unmistakable sound of Ducky's Morgan as it pulled up behind him. The three agents rushed down to Abby's side of the car, Tony pushing his way to the front to open the car door and pull Abby into a hug. "You're okay?"

"I'm okay." Abby returned the hug, glad to be surrounded by the people she trusted most. Gibbs followed Ducky up to the crowd and then led them all up to his front door and into his house. As his team piled in around his dining room table, Gibbs made a beeline for the coffee machine.

"Abigail, my dear." Ducky leaned across the table and covered her hands with his. His warm hands over hers and his comforting voice pushed Abby's emotions over the edge and her eyes welled up.

"Oh Abby." Tony scooted his chair closer to pull her into another hug. "I wish I could have been there for you."

"We all do, Abby." Ziva sat on Abby's other side and patted her arm affectionately. McGee, who was seated next to Ducky, leaned across to sweep his hand down her hair, offering support as well.

Gibbs leaned back against the kitchen counter, content that his entire team had Abby's back. He watched as they crowded around her, offering words of support and comfort. Abby looked up at him briefly, smiling through her tears, before returning her attention to the friends around her.

----

TBC

Is that a better end to a chapter for everyone?


	20. Chapter 20

After handing out coffee to his team, Gibbs retreated to his bedroom to change intro a rugged pair of jeans and a USMC tee and then snuck, unnoticed by most, down to the basement to work some of his frustrations out on the boat taking shape in his basement.

He leaned into the boat as he worked the sandpaper, moving with the grain of the wood. Little bits of sawdust clouded into the air around him, tickling his nose as he worked. He stayed away from the bourbon, though it called to him from its place on the shelf. He needed to be completely sober when he finally had the chance to talk to Abby alone. He wasn't sure if it would be tonight, or if it would be later in the weekend, but on the off chance she wanted to talk before bed, he would be ready.

As he worked, he thought back over the evening; how first seeing Abby in her dress took his breath away, how seeing her on Fornell's arm had caused anger and possibly jealousy to coil in the pit of his stomach. He thought of the fear he felt when Vincent raised his gun toward Abby. He shivered at the thought that if he had arrived half a minute later, he could be at the hospital right now telling her to wake up, or he could be in the morgue telling her how he'd been too stubborn to admit his feelings while she was alive and was now forced to tell her cooling body.

He swallowed against the lump in his throat at the thought of seeing Abby in the morgue. He couldn't go there.

Suddenly Gibbs felt like he was being watched. He stiffened and then remembered that he had left a house full of people upstairs. He turned around to see Abby sitting halfway down the stairs, the puffy skirt of her dress taking up more space on the steps than Abby herself.

"You okay?"

"You can't ask me if I'm okay every time you see me from now on, Gibbs." Abby smiled softly at him. "I'm okay. Much better now, but, you know. It'll be a while before I stop looking over my shoulder."

Gibbs appreciated her honesty. "You don't have to worry anymore. Even if he does pull through, he won't ever see the outside of jail cell. I'll make sure of that."

"I know you will." Abby gathered the poofy fabric and pulled it aside, creating a spot for Gibbs to sit beside her.

Gibbs brushed as much of the sawdust off as he could before settling down beside her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He looked down and smiled when she let go of the fabric and it spread halfway across his lap. "The team still upstairs?"

"No. I sent them home. I know you don't like a bunch of people crowding your house."

"Abby, you need your friends. They can stay as long as you need them."

"I'll talk to them tomorrow." Abby worried her lower lip for a few moments. "I need you more."

"I'm right here." Gibbs pulled her into his side and rested his cheek on the top of her head.

"I know." Abby pulled her hands into the sleeves of Gibbs' sweatshirt that she was still wearing, her fingers pulling at the cuffs of the sweatshirt. "It's been a long four weeks, hasn't it?"

"It has."

"I've missed NCIS, my babies and you."

"It hasn't been the same without you being around. I can't speak for your Major Mass Spec, but I'm sure it's missed you too."

"The lab tech, she didn't mess up my lab too bad, did she?"

"No. I had McGee keep an eye on everything for you."

"Thanks." Abby sighed and felt a little of the tension leave her body. "Smells good down here."

"Smells like it always does, Abbs."

"I know, I just haven't been over for awhile. Haven't seen much of you either."

Gibbs wasn't sure what to say to that. They had been flirting over the phone for so long, but now that they were face to face and things were a little more serious, Gibbs wasn't sure how he should play it. He wasn't even sure if she remembered their phone call from the night before. Gibbs ran his fingers along the fabric of her dress. "You look beautiful tonight."

Abby was glad Gibbs couldn't see the smirk that played over her lips. "See, last night over the phone, I told you it was beautiful."

"You did."

"You came all the way over, why didn't you at least wake me up?"

"I don't think you would have woken up if I had tried to wake you. How much did you drink?"

Abby pulled away as she tried to remember how much she had to drink the night before. "Ugh, I don't know. But judging by how I felt this morning, more than I should have."

"Come on." Gibbs held out his hand. "You should get some sleep; you've had a long day. I'll help you get settled."

Abby took his hand and allowed him to lead her up the basement. Gibbs dropped her hand to go grab the bag she had brought with her from Fornell's place. With the bag in hand Gibbs directed her up the stairs.

Abby hesitated at the top of the stairs; she knew Gibbs was a private person, but she didn't want to be alone. She would have settled for Fornell's company if she had to. "Gibbs?"

Gibbs nudged her toward the room to the right. "You can sleep in my room, it's the most comfortable." He set her bag on the bed and then stepped into the en suite bathroom to flip on the light for her. "You have something comfortable to sleep in?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." Gibbs moved around her to pull back the covers for her and then started to edge closer to the door so she could change.

"Gibbs?" Abby stopped him. "I um, I don't want to be alone tonight. Could you, um, maybe stay? With me?"

Gibbs thought a moment before he nodded and took a step towards her. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her back softly. "Yeah, I'll stay." He held her a few moments longer before pulling away again. "You get changed while I go back downstairs and turn off the lights."

"Okay." Abby watched as Gibbs turned to go. "Wait, Gibbs?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you also, um, lock the door?"

Gibbs smiled. "Already did."

When she heard his footsteps hit the bottom step, Abby turned to go through the bag she had packed. She lifted Gibbs' red hoodie off and laid it on the bed. Pulling out a plain white tee and a navy blue pair of shorts, she stepped into the bathroom to unzip her dress. After changing, Abby hung her dress over the hook on Gibbs' closet door, and then went back to the bathroom to brush her teeth and run a wet cloth over her face – the majority of her makeup had come off with her tears. When she looked up at the mirror, she saw Gibbs standing behind her.

"Here, let me help." Gibbs stepped up behind her and took the cloth from her hand. He tilted her head slightly and wiped the cloth gently along the side of her neck where her spider web tattoo was hidden under make up. "There. Much better."

"Thanks." Abby let out a happy sigh at the touch of his fingers. "Had to cover it, didn't think it would go over well with the FBI big-wigs. They aren't as relaxed as NCIS."

Gibbs smiled and stepped around her to grab his toothbrush. Abby left him in the bathroom and headed back to clear her stuff off the end of the bed. She folded Gibbs' red sweatshirt, placing it on top of her bag and then moved to the bed and sat down. It wasn't the first time she'd been in his room, but it was the first time she was sleeping there.

Pulling the pins from her hair, she let it fall to around her shoulders. Raking her fingers along her scalp she tried to ease the tension from keeping her hair tied to tight.

She slipped her legs under the blanket and lay back. She'd had dreams about spending the night in Gibbs' room – though if she were completely honest with herself, her dreams didn't include much sleeping.

The bed dipped, and she looked to see that Gibbs was sitting on the side of the bed, pulling the t-shirt he'd been wearing off over his head; he had already changed into a pair of long sleep pants.

He switched off his bedside lamp, bathing the room in darkness and then slipped under the covers. Abby turned to look at him through the dark, her eyes adjusting to the darkness quickly. She wanted to reach out to him, to snuggle in close, but she was unsure of what to say. Although she hadn't seen him much the past few weeks, their nightly chats had started something between them. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was different from their usual flirtatious banter and she wanted to know where she stood with him.

Before she could ask, she felt Gibbs move and suddenly she was being pulled toward the center of the bed and found herself wrapped tightly in his arms. She snuggled into his arm, pressing her face against his chest and wrinkling her nose at the tickle of his chest hair. When he said nothing, she decided to risk a kiss to his chest as well. When the kiss earned her a soft chuckle, she did it again and then wrapped an arm around him to pull herself even closer.

"Abby?"

Abby pulled back to look up Gibbs. "Hmm?"

Gibbs used his hand to steady her chin and then leaned in to brush a soft kiss against her lips. "You're safe now. I've got you."

"I'm always safe with you."Abby didn't get the chance to respond to his kiss, instead, when he pulled her back into his arms she tilted her head to press a kiss to his neck. "S'why I love you."

---

Abby woke with her back firmly up against Gibbs' chest and his arms wrapped tightly around her middle. As she stirred, she felt his lips press to the back of her neck. "You sleep well?"

Pressing her face into the pillow, Abby smiled. "Best night of sleep in more than four weeks."

"Good." He touched his lips to the back of her neck again. "Must be the designer mattress I've got."

"Must be." Abby turned in the circle of his arms. "Gibbs, I-" She was interrupted by the sound of Gibbs' phone ringing.

Gibbs brushed his lips across her forehead and then rolled over to grab his phone off his bedside table. "Yeah, Gibbs."

Reaching out, Abby traced her finger across Gibbs' chest as he spoke. Her fingers sought out the bullet wound from Ari and she traced the small circle and then hugged herself close, resting her head on his chest, drawing comfort from his voice as he spoke. When he hung up, she looked up. "You have to go?"

"Yeah, it's the FBI. They want an official statement. I've got to go to their office."

"They don't want to talk to me? I was there too."

"They will, but I think they are giving you a chance to rest a bit. I have no doubt they'll be in touch." Gibb sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

"Can you drop me off at my apartment so I can get my car? I want to go to the hospital and check on Tobias. And I want to get the rest of my things from his place."

"Sure."

While Gibbs showered, Abby changed into jeans and a t-shirt – an outfit she had grabbed the night before. She headed down stairs and started Gibbs' coffee machine, figuring he'd need a cup before dealing with the FBI. Gibbs found her in his kitchen, a cup of coffee in her outstretched hand.

----

When Gibbs dropped Abby off at her apartment, he thought it went without saying that she should come back to his place that evening. They still had things to discuss, and spending one night with her in his arms wasn't enough.

He didn't enjoy his time at the FBI, but he knew it was a necessary evil. Gibbs made sure that the FBI agent working the case got every single detail that he could remember. He hadn't personally called to check on Vincent, but at the FBI headquarters he learned that it was still touch and go for Vincent. Gibbs wasn't sure if he wanted the man to survive; if he did, Gibbs would make sure that he wouldn't set foot outside of his prison cell, however, part of him, a very small part of him understood the grief that the man had gone through to cause him to seek revenge.

Gibbs returned home mid-afternoon, and spent the rest of the day milling around the basement, working on his boat, organizing his tools and cleaning up. When Abby hadn't shown up by seven he wondered if he should give her a call. _Nah, she was probably called in to give her statement._

When she hadn't arrived by eight, the urge to call her grew. _Maybe she didn't realize that I want her to come back. Maybe she needs some alone time. Give her an hour._

At nine, with no Abby in sight, Gibbs picked up his phone and dialed. "Abbs?"

"_Oh Gibbs, I was just about to call. I'm with Tobias. I think I'll be here for awhile."_

----

TBC…


	21. Chapter 21

Abby glanced around her apartment. Gibbs had offered to walk her up, but she knew he was needed by the FBI and as much as she wanted him near-by, she needed to do things on her own. She had put on her big girl smile and squared her shoulders before getting out of the car and walking to the front door of the building. It wasn't until she was inside the elevator that she let herself breathe again.

Her apartment had been aired out a few times by Tony; he watered her plants and checked the place over once a week, but she could still feel that it had been empty the past few weeks. She moved around her apartment, checking that everything was in place, looking at all the photos she had on her bookshelf and talking to Eddie the spider plant in her kitchen window.

Satisfied that everything was the way she left it, Abby grabbed her phone and curled up in her favorite chair. She dialed Tony's number from memory and smiled when he picked up after the first ring.

"_Abby! God, how are you? Where are you? Are you alright?"_

"Hey Tony, I'm fine. I'm at my apartment."

"_Making sure I didn't steal all your stuff?"_

"I've given the place a once over, and everything looks like I left it. But don't think I won't do an inventory check," Abby laughed.

"_Do I still have time to return that bottle of vodka I snagged?"_

"I might give you a few days."

"_You really okay? I'm worried about you."_

"I'm fine Tony. I want to say thanks for coming over to Gibbs' last night and for watching over my apartment while I was away. It was good to see you all. I can't wait to get back to NCIS so things can get back to normal, you know?"

"_I know. We've all missed you at work, not just Gibbs."_

"I missed you too."

"_He really missed you, I know I've told you before, but holy crap Abbs – he was miserable. I don't want to get into your personal business, well ok I do but I won't, but anyway, you need to, you know, talk to him_."

"Thanks Tony." Abby knew he was trying to help. "Anyway, I've got to get going. I think Tobias is still at the hospital and I want to go check on him."

"_Call me if you need anything, otherwise I'll see you on Monday, right? You'll be back in the lab?"_

"See you Monday. Thanks Tony." Hanging up, Abby tucked her cell phone into her pocket and grabbed her sweater. She gave one last glance around her apartment before grabbing her car keys from their spot on the kitchen counter and heading out to her car.

It took a few tries before she found someone at the hospital who could direct her to Tobias' room. Although his wound wasn't life-threatening, the doctors had decided to keep him overnight to be sure that there was no nerve damage. She knocked softly and then stepped inside the hospital room. Tobias was up, dressed and in the process of filling out some paperwork. "Abby?"

"Hey. How're you?" Abby shifted from foot to foot.

"I'm fine. I'm just about to head out of here. How are you?"

"I'm fine. Still a bit freaked out, but I'll be okay. You have a ride home?"

"I was just going to catch a cab."

"I'll give you a lift. I need to get my things from your place, anyway."

Tobias smiled and then returned his attention to the forms he was filling out. When he was done, Abby followed him to the front desk and then led him out to her car. They swung by the pharmacy to pick up his prescription pain pills and then headed to the grocery store.

"Abby, I've got plenty of food for a few days, and by then I'll be off the prescription pain pills and able to drive myself. You don't need to get me groceries."

"Relax Tobias." Abby parked and then turned to look at him. "I know Emily will be back in a few days and I know she'll want to spend time with her dad. Do you really want to waste that time grocery shopping?" Fornell gave her his best glare, but Abby just laughed it off. "Really, you need to practice that Gibbs stare you've got going on. It's pretty weak. Sit tight, I'll be back in a few."

Abby didn't take long in the grocery store. She knew exactly what he was out of, and picked up a few things she knew Emily would enjoy. Once she paid, she pushed the cart out to her car and smiled when she saw that Tobias had fallen asleep. He woke with a start when she sat in the driver's seat and shut the door. "Just me."

Back at Fornell's Abby directed him onto the sofa and made sure he was comfortable with his arm propped up before she set about unpacking all the groceries. With the pain pills he had been given, Tobias slept for the majority of the morning, only waking when Abby placed a sandwich on the table in front of him. "You need to eat."

He looked down at the sandwich she made him. "Thanks."

"Welcome." They ate lunch silently together, both of them thinking over the previous night's events, unsure of what to say. When lunch was finished, Abby handed him another pain pill and a glass of water before heading upstairs to pack her belongings. She folded her clothing carefully and placed everything into her suitcases. Picking up the team photo she'd placed on the bedside table, Abby ran her fingers over Gibbs and then with a smile on her face, she placed it in her suitcase. She didn't need to look at a photo of him before bed tonight. She was planning on falling asleep with him instead.

Once her things had been packed, and her suitcases zipped, she worked on putting Emily's things back where they belonged. She pulled the sheets from the bed and put them in the wash, and put a clean set of sheets on. By the time she was done, it was past dinner time.

She found Fornell shuffling around the kitchen trying to dig through the refrigerator while trying to support his arm at the same time. "Go rest. I'll figure out dinner." Abby shooed him back out to couch and helped him get settled.

She pawed around the refrigerator, but despite her grocery shopping, nothing really appealed to her. Instead she turned to their old faithful Chinese food. She called in their standard order and busied herself cleaning up around the kitchen while she waited for it to be delivered. She was just bringing Fornell a glass of water when the doorbell rang.

They both froze, their fears from the past few weeks taking over momentarily before Abby took a deep breath and headed for the door. "It's just dinner."

With dinner served, Abby sat opposite Fornell in the arm chair, curling her legs up under her. She picked idly at her food while Fornell ate. They had a lot to talk about, but she wasn't sure how to start or what to say.

"I'm sorry."

Abby looked up sharply when Fornell spoke. "What for?"

"For dragging you into this mess in the first place. I kept you from your life and your friends for four weeks; I nearly got you killed yesterday. I really am sorry."

"It's okay. You kept me safe; I'm not the one that's hurt. You are."

"Gibbs kept you safe. He saved us both."

Abby blushed at the mention of Gibbs. "Yeah, he did save the day, didn't he?"

Fornell was about to comment that it always seemed to be Gibbs saving the day when Abby's phone rang. The smile on her face before she got up to wander toward the kitchen and answer, told him what he needed to know. It was Gibbs.

"Oh Gibbs, I was just about to call. I'm with Tobias. I think I'll be here for awhile." When she had realized how late it was getting she had thought about calling Gibbs. She wanted to go back to his place, for the night and figured she'd let him know she'd be a bit late.

"_Oh. Is everything okay?"_

"Yeah, we're just talking. Um, can I come back over tonight? I mean, I don't have to, it's just that I don't really want to be alone at my place, and uh, I mean I'll be okay if you want your space back, but I just thought I ask…" Abby trailed off. She knew she was blabbering.

"_The door is open."_

Abby let out a small sigh of relief. "Okay, well then I'll be around later, okay?"

"_Okay."_ Gibbs hung up.

Abby returned to sit across from Fornell. "It was Gibbs."

"I figured. Now that you aren't involved with this case, you plan on spending some time figuring things out with Jethro?"

"Figuring things out?" Abby shrugged. "What is there to figure out?"

Fornell laughed. "Do I really need to spell it out? The man gave me a fat lip when I called him on enjoying playing hero for you."

"Shut up." Abby laughed. "He gave you a fat lip because your agents weren't up to his standards."

"I don't think it has anything to do with my agents." Fornell shifted and winced at the pain that shot through his arm. "How was last night after they carted me to the hospital?"

"Tough. Gibbs brought me here to grab a few things and then took me back to his place. Tony, Ziva, McGee and Ducky showed up to stay with me awhile. It was nice to be around my friends. They always know when I need them."

"Good, I'm glad they are there for you. You deserve friends like that." They chatted awhile longer about the night before, eventually winding up talking about Vincent. There was still no news on whether he would survive his gunshot wound.

"Why'd he do it? I mean, I know why he was after you, but what normal person would go after someone they don't know. What did I ever do?"

"C'mere." Tobias sat up and nodded to the spot beside him. When Abby was seated beside him, he put his good arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a half hug. "It wasn't ever anything that _you_ did. You were seen next to me at a bar and he assumed things that weren't true. It was nothing that you did." When Abby let out a heavy sigh, Fornell gave her a little squeeze and kissed the top of her head gently. "It's getting late, you should go to Gibbs. He needs you just as much as you need him."

Abby glanced at her watch, it was nearly midnight. She hadn't meant to stay quite so late, but there was no one besides Fornell who completely understood what she had been through, and she was glad to talk with him about the whole situation.

"I probably should. Need anything before I go?"

"Nah, I'm just going to try and get some sleep. Let me know once you give your statement. They call you about that yet?"

"No. I thought they would have by now." Abby stood and pulled on her jacket.

"I spoke to Agent Larson this morning when he came for my statement. I asked them to wait and contact you at NCIS on Monday so that you could have a little space."

"Thanks. I'll call you on Monday, but don't hesitate to call if you need anything. Okay? I can check in with you tomorrow, if you like?"

"I'll be fine Abby, thank you." Fornell followed her to the door. "Tell Jethro I said thank you."

"I will." Abby headed out to her car with a small wave. She glanced across the street to where the two extra agents had been staying. She smiled the whole way back to Gibbs' place; she felt much better compared to the night before, and she couldn't wait to see Gibbs.

She was surprised to see the basement light wasn't on; she knew he usually worked until one a.m. down on his boat and it was only quarter past midnight. She grabbed her bag and headed up the front steps. As promised, the door was unlocked, but Abby was confused to find the house dark with the exception of the hall light. "Gibbs?"

----

TBC…


	22. Chapter 22

Sorry about the delay… one of my beta's had finals the past week and was busy studying… guess I can't blame her. Anyway, on to ch 22. Enjoy! Also, keep your eye open for a Christmas fic I will post in two parts, likely starting tomorrow!

-----

"Gibbs?" Abby frowned as she shut the door behind her. She knew it was late, but she had hoped to spend some time with Gibbs talking about what had happened between them the past few weeks over the phone. She knew she couldn't judge things by the previous night - for all she knew, the brief kiss and the fact that he held her the night before could have all been due to the fact that a gun had been pointed at her hours before. She hoped that wasn't the reason.

Double-checking that the door was locked, Abby wandered through the living room and into the kitchen, checking for any signs that Gibbs was still up. She opened to the basement and called down softly to make sure he wasn't down there. Tiptoeing up stairs, Abby peeked into his bedroom and saw Gibbs under the covers facing away from the door.

She was quiet as she moved over to where she had left her bag of clothes. She grabbed the tee and shorts and headed to the bathroom to change and brush her teeth. When she finished her nightly routine, Abby stepped back into Gibbs' room hoping that he'd been woken up by the sound of her moving around. He was still facing the wall, and his breathing was steady. She wasn't completely convinced that he was asleep, but if he wasn't ready to talk, then she wasn't going to force it. She was happy to just curl up next to him for the night.

Abby gently pulled back the covers and slipped her legs under. She was careful as she scooted up behind Gibbs, and hesitated only a moment before wrapping her arm around his waist and hugging herself close. She inhaled deeply, taking comfort in the scent of his skin before pressing her lips to the bare skin of his shoulder. "Night Gibbs," she whispered. "I love you."

She wasn't sure if she imagined it, but it felt like Gibbs held his breath. Before she could decide if he was indeed holding his breath, he turned around to pull her against his chest. "Love you too, Abbs."

"Then what's wrong?" Abby tapped her fingers against his chest as she snuggled into his arms. There was something going through his head, she could tell. She just wasn't sure what it was.

Gibbs sighed. "I want to kiss you, but every time I close my eyes I see you and Tobias."

Abby pulled back and stared up at him through the dark with wide eyes. "Tobias? Why would you..?" Abby tried to clear her thoughts. "I don't, I never. Tobias and I never, you think we…?" Abby couldn't even put into words what she was trying to get at. "I never kissed him! Not once, Gibbs. I promise. You can ask him."

"I believe you, I just," Gibbs wasn't sure how to explain what he meant. Flat out saying 'I'm jealous' wasn't an option. "Why were you there so late tonight?"

Abby gave up on hoping for that kiss, so she rested her head back on the pillow. "He doesn't have a team like we do, Gibbs. I went to check on him in the hospital and he was getting ready to go home, only there was no one to give him a ride. He was going to take a cab. If anyone on our team was shot, there is no way you would let them take a cab home alone. I took him home, bought some groceries so he wouldn't have to go out for a few days, and then helped him get the house ready for when Emily comes home. I packed up my stuff and then we just sat talking about the past few weeks. It was a lot to go through and I just needed to talk about it, you know?"

Abby took a deep breath. Satisfied that he wasn't going to try and stop her ramble, she continued. "I know I can talk to you about it, and I want to talk to you, but he went through everything with me and he was even shot, so I guess it was just nice to talk to someone who was right there beside me. But I know you've only seen bits and pieces of Tobias and I together and you only saw the happy parts of us pretending to be a couple. But it wasn't like that. You have no idea how badly I've wanted my life back and I want us to be okay, better than okay, because-"

Gibbs knew that Abby rambling was her way of letting off steam, but he could only listen for so long before he got lost in her jumbled words. He opened his mouth to try and get a word in, but when she just closed her eyes and kept talking, he knew he needed a more direct approach.

When Gibbs' mouth closed down over hers, Abby's eyes flew open. She hesitated a brief moment as her brain caught up with her body and then pressed into his kiss, her hand scrambling to hold on to him the best that she could.

Gibbs pulled away first, chuckling when Abby issued a breathy complaint. "Don't stop."

"I had to shut you up somehow. Worked pretty well."

"Gibbs _please_." Abby wasn't above begging when it came to Gibbs.

"Patience, Abbs." He spoke against her lips. "We've got plenty of time."

"But I'm not a very patient person, you know that."

"Mm, I know." Gibbs gave in and pressed a quick kiss to her lips and then her nose. "Good thing I'm patient enough for the both of us. But talk to me Abby, I need to know what's going on in here." Gibbs tapped her forehead lightly and then her chest. "And here."

"Not much going on up there right now. I blame you." Abby stuck out her tongue and then smiled at him. "You kiss me like that and then pull away. Not fair. And here," Abby covered his hand on her chest. "It's about to explode."

Gibbs settled on his back and waited until Abby made herself comfortable, her head resting on his chest. "I know you say you're okay, but you aren't. You had a gun pointed at you. How can I help you?"

"You already have helped. You're helping right now." Abby kissed his collar bone and carded her fingers through his chest hair. "I feel safe with you. I always have, but now… all I need is you, Gibbs, to feel safe."

"I'll keep you safe." Gibbs tightened his arm around her.

"I know. Gibbs?"

"Hmm?"

"That day when Vincent showed up and you sent me with Ziva and Tony, why didn't you come with me? I asked you nicely."

"I couldn't. I needed to work on catching that bastard. I couldn't be distracted by you."

"Oh. Wouldn't that have been a good distraction?"

"Not sure I would have let you go back to live under his roof if I had taken you home for the weekend," Gibbs answered honestly. If he had spent any more time with her that day, he would've taken her far away from DC and the danger that Vincent posed.

"Gibbs." Abby's voice grew stern. "As much as you want to put all the blame on Tobias, he's your friend. You can't blame it all on him."

"I can-" And he would. It would take a lot for him to completely forgive his friend for dragging Abby into the mess, even though he knew Fornell hadn't done it on purpose.

Abby cut him off with a flick of her finger to his chin. "You can't blame his agents either. We were dumb to let him in like that, I know. I don't think we need to have this conversation again."

"He didn't have to help you sneak out." That was another conversation he knew Abby was eager to avoid, but Gibbs didn't mind bringing it up if it would send the message home that Abby had made a pretty dumb decision.

Abby suppressed a giggle. She knew Gibbs was trying to get a reaction out of her, but she ignored him. "My original thought was to sneak over here. Would you have kicked me out?"

"I would have called Fornell and told him to keep track of his girlfriend. He busted through my door accusing me of hiding you though."

"Sorry." Abby sighed. "I didn't mean to get you into all that. I didn't think he would even notice that I was gone."

"S'ok. It's all over now."

"Yeah, all over." Abby agreed, tracing her fingers across his chest and listened to his steady heart beat under her ear. She inhaled deeply, the scent of sawdust settling the last of her nerves. She didn't have to pretend any more, she wasn't spending anymore nights at Fornell's place, and she certainly didn't fear for her life anymore, not with Gibbs beside her. "You need to talk to Fornell soon. You need to figure things out between you. He's a friend Gibbs, not some guy who was keeping me from you. It wasn't like that and you know it."

"He almost did take you from me. If I had been 30 seconds later, last night could have ended very differently. I can't just forget about it. You know my past, and Abby to have you taken away like that and with everything still unsaid. I wouldn't have made it through that."

Abby was well aware of his past and how Shannon and Kelly had been taken from him without warning. "I know," Abby didn't want to kill the mood. "But it's all being said now, right?"

"It is. I love you." Gibbs stroked her hair softly.

"Easy, isn't it? When you mean it." Abby hugged herself even closer. "I love you." Although she wanted nothing more than to be ravaged by him and covered in his kisses, his declaration of love was enough to quiet her for awhile and enjoy the feeling of his arm securing her to his side.

"You know, if you want to get technical about the whole situation, I could blame the whole thing on you. If you hadn't been all over that redhead at the bar I wouldn't have been sitting with Tobias that night."

"You're blaming me now?" Gibbs lifted his head to look at her.

"No. I'm telling you to stay away from the red heads at bars and red-headed FBI agents at dinner parties."

Gibbs shifted to his side. "What about women with black hair," he tugged gently on a lock of her hair, "and tattoos?"

"I dunno, I might have to think about it."

Gibbs rolled over and covered her body with his. "You sure you need to think about it?" Gibbs looked down at Abby as she giggled beneath him. "You still thinking?"

Abby's giggles faded and she blinked up at him. "No. I'm done thinking Gibbs. I was done thinking a long time ago. I've loved you for a long time, but I think my time away and pretending to date Fornell-" Abby swallowed against the lump in her throat and gripped his shoulders tightly. "It made me realize how much I really depend on you in my life, even for little things, by not being around you for so long. And Gibbs? I don't want to be away from you like that again."

Gibbs dipped his head to catch the tear that rolled down her cheek with a kiss.

"No more FBI."

"No more," Gibbs agreed. "No more." He peppered a few kisses around her cheek until her grip on him loosened and he felt her relax.

----

TBC…


	23. Chapter 23

Just in time for Christmas – Enjoy!

----

"Kiss me." Abby whispered. _"Please!"_

Gibbs didn't need to be asked twice. He lowered his head to press his lips to hers, nipping playfully at her lower lip before pressing his mouth to hers more firmly. Abby moaned softly in response as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

His tongue dueled with hers as she opened up to him and he decided he would never tire of the taste of her lips. He was surprised that she didn't fight him for control, but after the past few weeks he could guess that she just needed to be taken care of. Slowing the kiss and then pulling away, Gibbs gazed down at Abby, her eyes closed and her swollen lips curved into a smile.

"Mmm Gibbs, don't stop." Abby reached blindly to cup his face in her hands and bring his lips back down to hers.

He worked her mouth, occasionally moving to nibble along her jaw, or tug at her ear lobe, giving her a chance to catch her breath. Abby squirmed beneath him as he tugged gently on her earlobe and then licked up the shell of her ear.

"More, I need _more_."

"Relax, Abbs. We've got all the time we need." If Abby was finally his, Gibbs was determined to discover every inch of her body at his own pace. Pushing himself up so that he was sitting over her thighs, Gibbs ran his hands down along her sides until he was able to slip his fingers underneath the hem of her shirt.

His fingers were hot against her skin as they worked her shirt up toward her head, exposing her skin one slow inch at a time. Shivering at the contrast of his hot fingers and the cool evening air, she could do nothing but move with him as he lifted her slightly to pull the shirt up and over her head.

Cupping her breasts in his hands, Gibbs flicked his thumbs over her nipples before leaning down to lavish attention with his mouth. Once both nipples had been teased to stiff points, he moved forward to capture her lips in a gentle kiss. Abby arched up against him, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck as she pressed into his kiss.

He kissed her until she melted back into the mattress before moving his kisses to her neck, nipping at her skin as he trailed down to her collarbone and out over her shoulder. Abby giggled and watched with lust filled eyes as he continued to leave a trail of kisses down her arm, kissing the palm of her hand and nipping tenderly at her fingertips.

Abby let out a shriek of laughter as he nosed his way down her sides, kissing over her ribs and across her stomach, pausing to dip his tongue into her bellybutton. Gibbs was well aware of her being ticklish, but it was nice to know what made her laugh most. Moving off to the side, he lifted her hips to slide her shorts and panties off and then he settled between her legs again. Pressing a quick kiss to her knees, he traced his fingers back up her thighs, his thumbs brushing over her hip bones as he kissed closer to his intended target.

"Gibbs…" Abby whispered with a heavy sigh. "I can't… hurry up. Need _you_."

"Just a taste, Abbs," He glanced up at her and spoke against the soft skin of her inner thigh. "Just a taste. I won't keep you waiting." Gibbs leaned in to press a kiss against the soaked flesh between her legs, smiling at the low moan it pulled from her mouth.

He kissed her again, teasing her with a few gentle flicks of his tongue.

"Payback." Abby squirmed. "Payback can be a bitch."

"Uh huh." He inhaled deeply, the scent of her sex heavy in his nose. "I'll remember that." Nipping at her inner thigh, he slowly worked his way back up her body. He was ready to be free of the boxers that separated his body from Abby's, and judging by the way she was writhing below him, she was ready for him to lose his boxers as well.

Gibbs moved to lay by her side, so he could work free of his boxers. Abby rolled towards him and sought out his lips for a kiss. He was barely free of his boxers before he felt Abby's fingers wrap gently around him. He pressed his lips against her forehead in a kiss and then smiled.

It felt right, what they were doing and it didn't take long for Abby's talented fingers to have him aching and hard, little beads of pre-come forming only to be wiped away by her thumb. Besides the work her hands were doing, she was alternating between nuzzling his neck, nipping at his jaw and licking along his collar bone.

"God Abby," He was riding into her hand, his breath huffing out with each thrust. They needed to change things up or else he knew he'd finish long before her and that's not how he wanted things to happen. He nudged her hand away and urged her onto her back, tilting her head to the side to trace her spider web tattoo with his tongue.

"Gibbs," Abby whined. "Stop playing. I _need_ you. Now."

"I'm not allowed to play with you?" Gibbs quirked an eyebrow and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips.

"You know what I mean." Abby had had enough; using the small amount of strength left in her body, she pushed Gibbs to his back and threw a leg over his waist to straddle him. Gibbs took the hint and directed himself towards her warmth, grunting as she let her hips fall to his.

Abby grinned down at him, her eyes heavy with lust. This is what she'd been waiting for; not just tonight, not just the past four weeks.

Gibbs let Abby take control. He knew it wouldn't always be that way; he was too much of a control freak to allow her to completely control their love-making, but for now he wanted her to take whatever she needed. He gripped her hips tightly, holding her steady as she moved against him. He was captivated by her breasts bouncing before him, but he couldn't bring himself to pull his hands away from her hips – just in case.

Abby's hands pressed against his chest, her fingers digging into his skin as she ground down against him. She wasn't far from jumping off the cliff, he could see it on her face, and when she finally collapsed against him letting her release take over, he caught her in his arms and held her tightly against his chest, thrusting up against her a few more times until he felt her go completely limp.

"Love you." Her breath was hot as she murmured against his skin. "I love you so much."

She knew he hadn't finished yet, so after a moment to catch her breath, she rolled onto her back and pulled him with her.

Giving her a chance to recover, he dipped his head to kiss her. "I love you too." He thrust against her thigh a few times before repositioning himself at her entrance. He groaned as he pressed into her, the feeling of her heat overwhelming him as her legs wrapped around his waist, encouraging him on. "So close, Abbs."

Abby nuzzled his neck, nipping, licking and kissing his skin. "Harder."

He was near his release, but she couldn't possibly be ready again, could she? He pushed up so that he could look down at her. Her eyes were squeezed shut blissfully tight and her lower lip was sucked seductively into her mouth.

The look of bliss on her face was enough to spur him on and after a few rough thrusts he knew he was on the right track. He spilled into her with a low groan, but kept moving into her until he felt her stiffen and then relax with a murmur of love against his shoulder.

Gibbs lay over her until her legs loosened enough for him to slip from her body and roll over to lay on his back beside her. He was too tired to bring himself to look over at her, and he was fairly sure that she had fallen asleep until he heard a soft giggle.

"Abbs?" Gibbs pulled himself together, his breathing finally regulated, and rolled to his side to look at her.

Abby was grinning at him. "_That_ was amazing. Can we do that again sometime?"

"Anytime." Gibbs leaned in to kiss the silly grin off her face.

"I'm going to hold you to that, Gibbs."

"Anytime within reason." Gibbs corrected. He was certain she would approach him at work, and as hard as it would be to turn her down, he couldn't get caught with his pants down at work. He knew everyone was well aware of his feelings for Abby, but if anything changed between them at work, it would be perfect ammo for Vance. He wasn't going to let that happen. "And until then, let's get some sleep."

Abby cuddled into his arms and pressed a sloppy kiss against the center of his chest. "Church tomorrow?"

"Mmhmm." Gibbs was fighting to stay awake. The comfort of her warm body against his was lulling him to sleep after hard day pacing the basement wondering if she'd return.

Abby woke to the sound of Gibbs' voice rumbling through her ear. She had her ear pressed to his chest and he was talking over the phone. His answers were short, and he didn't ask any questions, just gave an occasional response. He must have sensed she was awake, because he dismissed the caller and then shifted to cover her body with his. They didn't have enough time to enjoy the morning like he would have preferred, but they certainly had time for a few languid kisses.

"Come on, we've just enough time for a quick shower together." Abby tried to push him off.

"You sure? Might take longer if we shower together compared to solo showers."

"I'm not ready for you to leave my sight yet today." Abby slapped his butt playfully and grinned at the look he gave her as he moved. "In the shower, mister." She had plans for him and they included her on her knees in the shower.

Abby laughed when he tried to tell her that it wasn't necessary, especially since they didn't have the time to finish what Abby started, but Abby dismissed the notion of waiting until later. She smiled sweetly and told him that while he was telling her to wait, his body was taking her side, and she dropped gracefully to her knees in front of him.

The last thought that flittered through Gibbs' mind before Abby's mouth slid over him was, _I've been missing out._

----

TBC…


	24. Chapter 24

"Abby, Jethro!" Sister Rosita greeted them warmly. "Fancy seeing the two of you here." _Together_, she added silently with a little nod and a thankful glance upward.

"Rosita!" Abby dropped Gibbs' hand and rushed to the other woman, embracing her in a tight hug. "It's so good to see you."

"You enjoyed today's service?"

"I did, thank you."

"No Tobias?" Rosita held back a snort of laughter when she noticed Gibbs' hands clench into fists by his side.

"Nah, that case is over. I'm back with Gibbs and NCIS now." Abby gave a sigh of relief. One day she would fill Sister Rosita in on all the details of what had happened with Vincent, but today wasn't the day. "Oh, I'll be right back, I just want to say hello to Sister Shirley."

Rosita waited until Abby was out of earshot. "So all is well in the world of Jethro?"

Gibbs smiled in Abby's direction and then turned to Rosita, his eyes telling a different story. "Not quite."

"Oh? Come, let's step away from the crowd." Rosita motioned him to step off to the side. "What's wrong?"

"I nearly lost her."

"Now Jethro, what did I tell you? It was rather obvious that her feelings for Tobias were of the friendship variety, she-"

"I know. I'm not talking about that. I nearly lost her… the same way I lost Shannon."

"Oh, oh dear. What happened?"

Gibbs shook his head. "It's a long story, one I'm sure Abby will tell you. I just can't get the thought of losing her out of my mind."

"Jethro," Rosita nodded to where Abby was talking animatedly with Sister Shirley. "I'm not going to sugar coat things and say that you'll never lose her, because you never know what might happen. You just need to focus on enjoying every moment you have with her."

Before he could open his mouth to answer, Abby bounced back over. He held out an arm, and tucked her into his side, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Ready to go?"

"Yep." Abby moved from his side to hug Rosita one last time. "See you Tuesday for bowling. I might even bring this one with me." Abby glanced back at Gibbs. "If he'll join me."

"We'll see." Gibbs offered.

"I could always bring Tobias," Abby smirked.

"Maybe you should." Gibbs refused to be baited. "Come on, let's go." He just barely resisted the urge to pat her ass. They were in a church after all.

In the car Abby pulled her seatbelt across her body and then shifted her body to look at Gibbs. "The phone call this morning, it was about Vincent, wasn't it?"

Gibbs hesitated before finally nodding. "It was."

"He's dead?"

"No."

"He'll make it?"

"They aren't sure. He lost a lot of blood and keeps crashing. He doesn't want to make it."

"I want to go see him."

"No. I won't let you near him." His voice was firm.

"Why? He can't hurt me."

"He doesn't need to see you. I don't _want_ him to see you."

"But Gibbs, you don't understand. I need to see him. I need to see that he can't hurt me anymore. I will have nightmares the rest of my life if I don't." Abby's eyes were brimming with tears.

"I'll keep your nightmares away, Abbs." Gibbs leaned across the center console to press a gentle kiss to her lips.

"I know, but please Gibbs. This is something I _need_ to do."

"Fine." Gibbs kissed her once more. "But I'm not leaving you alone with him. I don't care if he's chained to the bed."

Abby eyed him curiously and then smiled. "Deal."

Gibbs started the car and headed in the direction of the hospital. This wasn't how he envisioned their Sunday together. Abby was silent on the drive to the hospital. She didn't know if Vincent would be awake, if he would recognize her or if he would say anything. She wasn't sure what she would say to him, but she wanted to make it clear that she wasn't Tobias' girlfriend. She didn't know why, but she needed him to know.

Slipping her hand into Gibbs', Abby held on tightly as they walked down the long hallway to where the nurse had directed them. There was a cop standing by the door, but moved to let them in when Gibbs flashed his badge.

Vincent looked far from dangerous as he lay hooked up to wires and tubes. His eyes cracked open when they walked in and followed her as she moved closer. Abby was no doctor, but even she knew that his heart was beating far too slowly and his blood pressure was dangerously low.

Abby moved to the side of the bed and looked down at him. After a few moments of silent staring, she spoke. "Why me?"

"I…" Vincent swallowed. "Had to make…" Another ragged breath. "Agent Fornell pay."

"I was never his girlfriend. It was all an act to catch you and make you pay for all the sick things you did to the other women."

Vincent took a couple of ragged breaths and glared at her.

"I'm done." Abby gave him one last look before turning back to Gibbs. She cupped his face in her hands and pulled him down for a reassuring kiss. She needed to remind herself that she was ok. "Take me home."

"Give me a minute. I'll be right there."

Abby knew better than to ask questions and she was fairly certain that he wouldn't kill Vincent with a guard just outside the door.

Gibbs waited until the door shut completely before stepping up to Vincent's bed. He leaned forward to speak next to Vincent's ear. "Fornell might have failed at protecting her, but I won't. If you make it out of here alive, you'd better pray that they send you away for life." Gibbs didn't want a response nor did he wait for one. Abby was waiting for him just outside the door and as he stepped out of the room, she threw her arms around him in a tight hug and pressed her face against his neck.

"Can I take you home – my home – or are there any more places you'd like to go or errands to run first?"

"You want to go talk to Fornell? You guys really need to work things out."

"Not now Abby." He did need to talk to Tobias, but not with Abby around; he was going to set a few things straight with Fornell. "I need a few days for things to settle down first."

"Okay."

---

The ride home was quiet and Abby thought about Vincent. He looked different from the day that he had been in Fornell's house. He had obviously dyed his hair, but those eyes… they were the same – cold and calculating. She wasn't sure why she hadn't noticed them before, but she just hoped that she would be able to force the image out of her mind before bed time.

Back at his place, Gibbs led Abby to the couch and gently removed her boots before propping her feet up. "You relax. I'll see what I can pull together for dinner." With a kiss to the top of her head, he headed to his kitchen and gathered some supplies for sandwiches.

After dinner, Abby asked if she could accompany him in the basement. She missed spending time with him and the boat, and she explained the comfort of the scent of sawdust. Gibbs agreed with a nod and watched with a look of amusement as she ran to his bedroom and came back with his red USMC sweatshirt on. "All ready!"

The set their plates on the counter by the sink and Gibbs led the way down the steps. Abby didn't want to actually work on the boat; she still cringed at the thought of breaking his boat the last time she had wanted to work on it. But she enjoyed being around Gibbs as he worked, so she cleared a spot on his work bench and hopped up and made herself comfortable.

Gibbs lost himself in the hard physical work of sanding the planks of wood he'd selected for his boat. Although he was at ease, knowing that Abby was safe, it was nearly an hour before he remembered that she was there. When he looked at her she was staring past him, her eyes fixed on the boat. Setting the sandpaper aside, Gibbs stepped up in front of her. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" A smile tugged at her lips.

"You've just been sitting here and you haven't said a word."

"I know." Abby wrapped her arms and legs around him to pull him in closer. "I'm just enjoying being here, with you."

"Come on," Gibbs leaned in to kiss her softly before scooping her up off the work bench and carrying her towards the stairs. "Let's go to bed."

---

TBC…

Only one chapter left!


	25. Chapter 25

So sorry about the delay, real life has been a bit of a bitch and working 14 hour days has been less than enjoyable. I hope this final chapter was worth the wait. Again, sorry about the delay.

---

By the time they were upstairs, Abby had her shirt off and was working on pulling Gibbs' polo out from his slacks.

"Abby…" His warning was softened by the fact that he was nuzzling her neck.

"What? You said 'anytime within reason.'" Abby reached back to unhook her bra as Gibbs used his foot to push open the bedroom door. "Is this not within reason?"

Gibbs laid her down gently and then pulled back to tug his shirt over his head as Abby wiggled from her skirt. "It's within reason." He shucked his pants and lowered himself with a feral grin.

---

Abby blinked against the harsh sun-light streaming in through the window; they had been too comfortable to get up to draw the curtains shut the night before. She rolled over and pressed her lips to Gibbs' chest.

"Mmm," Gibbs tilted her chin up and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Morning."

"Morning." Although she was happy to be headed back to NCIS to spend her days surrounded by her friends, Abby wasn't quite thrilled about giving up her solo time with Gibbs. "What time do we have to be at work today?"

Gibbs lifted his head to look at the clock; it was just past 6a.m. "At 0800."

"So we've got about two hours?"

Gibbs recognized the grin that was slowly spreading across Abby's still somewhat sleepy face as she pushed him onto his back and peppered several kisses across his chest. "I mean, this is within reason, isn't it?"

"It might be." Gibbs ran his fingers through her hair as his body confirmed that it was indeed within reason. Gibbs shivered as Abby left a trail of kisses down his chest and across his stomach. "You know, you can't do this at work, right?"

"I know." Abby dipped her tongue into his bellybutton. "S'why I'm doing it now. Just relax and enjoy."

---

Abby fiddled nervously as she waited for the elevator to take her and Gibbs up to the squad room. She hadn't been at NCIS in over two weeks and she couldn't wait to get back into the swing of things. After her morning romp with Gibbs, she was slightly more relaxed, but then Gibbs had told her that they had a date at the new jazz bar downtown, and it sent her mind into over-drive.

Abby jumped at the ding of the elevator and rushed out between the sliding door and right into Tony's waiting arms. "Tony!"

"Hey Abby, welcome back!!"

"It's good to be back!" Abby hugged him tightly and then rushed to McGee and then Ziva to hug them each as well. "I've missed you guys so much!"

"How are you?"

"I'm good. Real good." Abby glance back at Gibbs as he settled at his desk. "Sometimes I start to think too much about it, but Gibbs pulls me out of that funk, and then we saw Sister Rosita at church yesterday, and then we saw Vincent, but he's much less scary hooked up to all those machines in the hospital."

"I will kill him. I have friends in Mossad who owe me a favor. He will not leave the hospital alive."

"Ziva," Gibbs warned.

"I know it's not what you do here in America, but…" Ziva trailed off at the looks Gibbs, McGee, and Tony were giving her.

"Thank you, Ziva. I don't think Gibbs was telling you not to do it because he doesn't want you to kill someone, but he'd prefer to do it himself. But I appreciate the offer." Abby pulled her friend into another hug, and then turned to Gibbs. "Is Ducky in autopsy?"

Gibbs nodded and watched as Abby scurried off toward the back elevator.

---

Abby jumped when two hands gripped her hips. "Gibbs! You scared me."

The corner of Gibbs' mouth twitched upwards in a smirk when she turned around to face him.

"You have something for me?"

"Nope, just checking in on you."

"Oh. Well," Abby stepped away from him and moved around her lab pointing to various machines and trays of chemicals. "My lab was a complete mess and Major Mass Spec. has needed lots of love just to get through the basic stuff that was needed for a cold case that I'm working on for Agent Thomas. Whoever was in here did not follow the manual like I wrote out. _And_ my chemicals are out of order!"

Gibbs waited for her to circle back around and then caught her arm when she was in reach and pulled her in close. "But you're okay?"

"I'm okay." Abby wanted to kiss him, but she knew the cameras were rolling and if security caught them, the tape would be circulating NCIS by the end of the day. She pouted briefly, but then a smile spread across her face. "My office..?" There were no cameras in her back office.

Gibbs leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek like he usually would, lingering long enough to whisper in her ear. "Not within reason."

Abby stuck out her tongue and watched him stroll toward the elevator and then called out to him. "See you tonight!"

---

Abby loved how Gibbs automatically brought her back to his place, no questions asked. There was nothing wrong with her apartment, but there was some unspoken agreement that Abby would stay with him. Abby let herself wonder briefly if she should get a few more things from her place and bring them over. But she didn't want to press the issue, so she decided to follow Gibbs' lead.

Gibbs offered to let Abby shower first, but Abby dismissed the idea and suggested they save time and shower together.

"If we take too long, we'll miss our reservations." Gibbs warned as he slipped his shirt over his head. It hadn't been easy to be in the same building with Abby and not spend the day in her lab. It was even worse to have to refuse her advance in the lab, so he wasn't about to refuse her now - being around her made him feel like a teenager again.

"Get your mind out of the gutter," Abby winked. "I'm just suggesting a shower to save time and water. Sheesh."

They finally stepped from the shower when the water ran cold and Abby shivered as Gibbs wrapped a fluffy towel around her. They moved seamlessly around one another as they dressed. Abby had some reservations about wearing the same dress she'd worn a few days prior at the dinner with Fornell, but once she slipped it on and caught Gibbs watching her out of the corner of his eye, she forgot all about the first time she wore it.

She couldn't decide if she should leave her hair down, or pull it up. In the end she settled on a pony tail high on the crown of her head. She kept her makeup simple as she only had the makeup she kept in her purse, and then dabbed on a drop of her gunpowder perfume which she also kept in her purse.

Gibbs shaved and ran a comb through his hair before stepping into his walk in closet to change. He pulled out a suit and then grabbed two button up shirts, he'd let Abby choose the color.

"Blue. It matches your eyes."

---

Gibbs parked a few blocks from the jazz bar they'd decided on for their date. It wasn't cold, so Gibbs didn't mind the walk. They strolled hand in hand and a few doors down from the jazz bar, Abby paused when she heard her name being called from across the street.

"Abby!"

Abby turned just in time to catch the young girl that was flying towards her. "Hiya Emily!"

"Did you like my room?" Emily Fornell asked. "My daddy said you had a good time visiting."

"I did, thank you." Abby looked up as Fornell stepped up to where they were standing. "Tobias, what are you doing here?"

"Abby. Jethro." Fornell nodded. "Emily got home this morning, so we came downtown for dinner and now we're headed for some ice cream."

Abby didn't want to say anything, so she nodded to his arm. "How did you get down here?"

"Cab."

"Oh, ok. Everything okay?"

"Fine, thanks."

Emily tugged on the skirt of Abby's dress. "Do you and Mr. Gibbs want to come for ice cream with us?"

Abby caught the small smile on Gibbs' face, she knew he was fond of Emily. "I'm sorry sweetie, but we haven't even had dinner yet! We can't have dessert first!" She looked up to see both Fornell and Gibbs avoiding looking at each other. "But I saw the cutest little stuffed animals in a window a few shops down. Why don't we let the boys talk and go have a look?"

Both men opened their mouths to protest, but said nothing when Abby shot them both a look. Fornell waited until Abby and Emily were out of earshot and then turn to Gibbs. "I know you don't want to hear it, but I'm sorry."

"I know."

"And just so you know, nothing happened… I think some lines might have been blurred. There was nothing between us."

"I know that too. And just so you know," Gibbs glanced over to where Abby and Emily were looking at a window display. "She's mine."

"I can see that. I'm glad you figured that out."

"Abby," Gibbs called. "We don't want to lose our table." When Abby stepped up to his side, Gibbs reached out to shake hands with Fornell and then gently tousled Emily's hair. "Keep your dad in line for me, will you?"

"Yes, sir. Bye Abby!"

---

Gibbs tightened his arm around Abby's waist as they were led to a table. He was well aware of the eyes on them – well, mostly on her, but there had to be people wondering how a guy like him ended up with a woman like her.

Abby swayed her hips delicately when she stepped in front of him as they made their way between other tables. He like that they were both seated to one side of the table and although they could see the band, they were far enough away that they could talk without the music over-powering them.

They ordered their dinner – both ordering a glass of wine to go with.

"So, how many of those to get you to dance with me?"

"How many what?" Gibbs didn't follow.

"Glasses of wine." Abby answered as if it were obvious.

"Oh," Gibbs shrugged. "Do they sell wine by the barrel at this place?"

Abby rolled her eyes, but then changed the subject. She was just happy to be on a real date with him. Gibbs. Her boss. Her silver fox. She could hardly believe it – they were out for dinner and it wasn't her birthday. His hand was resting over hers and he wasn't trying to comfort her. It was just 'because.'

"Abby?"

"Hmm?

"You okay? You looked a little lost."

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

"About?" He didn't want her lost in thought about Vincent.

"About how I'm the luckiest woman ever."

"And how do you figure that?"

"I'm here with you."

Gibbs rolled his eyes at the dreamy look she shot him. "I dunno, Abbs. I think I might be the lucky one."

"Oh, Gibbs…" They chatted easily through dinner and Gibbs was surprised at how much they had in common outside of work. He found himself telling her about how he had met Sister Rosita through Shannon all those years ago. Abby was delighted to hear stories about a younger Rosita and she listened carefully when he spoke about Shannon.

"Would you like dessert?"

"I'm too full at the moment. Can I get dessert back at your place?"

Gibbs was beginning to recognize the certain sparkle in her eye. "I could probably figure something out back home. Come on." Gibbs held out his hand to her.

"I'm not done with my wine."

"I'm not either, but we can finish it after our dance."

"Dance?"

"I'm not going to bring you all the way out here, in that dress, and not ask you to dance."

"But earlier you said…"

Gibbs just watched as Abby started to ramble.

"Never mind what you said, let's dance." Abby jumped to her feet and allowed Gibbs to lead her to the dance floor where a few other couples were dancing.

Out on the dance floor Gibbs pulled her in close and Abby easily molded her body against his. The scent of saw dust tickled her nose and she inhaled deeply. "At that dinner, all I wanted was for you to ask me to dance, and for a brief moment I thought you might actually do it."

"God Abbs, I wanted to so bad." He pulled her in even tighter. "I'm sorry I didn't. I should have, but I didn't."

"It's okay. We're dancing now, that's all that matters." Abby waited until he looked at her and pressed her lips to his. "We're dancing now."

"Mhm," Gibbs kissed her again, then pressed his cheek to hers. They moved a little slower than the music suggested they should, but no one else seemed to care. Gibbs held her tightly, loving the way that even with clothes on she seemed to fit against his body perfectly. He inhaled deeply, nipped at her ear and then pulled back slightly. "Finish the wine and head out?"

"Basement, boat, bed?"

"I like the way you think." He twirled a lock of her hair around his finger and then took her hand and led her back to their table. They sat for a few more minutes to finish their wine and then Gibbs paid the bill before they headed back down the street toward his car. He noticed the slight shiver that ran through her body at the cool night air and offered his jacket, but Abby refused, instead opting to wrap her arm around his waist and hug herself close to his side.

Arriving back at his place, pausing upstairs in the hallway only to let Gibbs hang up his jacket, Abby led the way down to the basement and hopped up to what she decided was her place on his work bench. She was beginning to appreciate the silence and comfort of his basement, the only sounds the steady scratching of the sandpaper against the wood. Abby watched with interest as he worked, noting the way the muscles in his forearms tensed and relaxed and then tensed again as he worked. She smiled at the curve of his ass as he leaned over the boat to grab a new sheet of sandpaper and giggled when he looked back at her and arched a brow.

"What are you smiling about?"

"You've got a nice ass."

"Is that so?"

"Mhm, firm. Shapely. Shall I continue?"

Gibbs set down his tools and walked over to her.

"Because I can, even though _this_," Abby pointed to the two of them, "hasn't been going on for very long, I make it a point to be very aware of my surroundings, and you're around me fairly often in the lab, so trust me. I know what I'm talking about. You've got a nice ass."

Moving in close, Gibbs touched his lips to Abby's. "You ready for dessert yet?"

"I am."

"Good," Gibbs kissed her again and then dropped his lips to the side of her neck and then out to the neckline of her dress. "Because I've been waiting since Friday to peel this thing off of you."

Abby hopped off the bench and rushed to the top of the stairs. "Dessert has been served." With a grin she disappeared from his view, and he could hear her laughing as she rushed toward his bedroom.

"Dessert, indeed." Gibbs smiled as he flipped off the lights.

----

The End.


End file.
